If You Thought Life Couldn't Get Worse....

Reminder:  If you've been keeping a Gratitude Journal now is a good time to update it.  Who blessed your life this week?  What events lifted your heart?  What did you see, hear or read that inspired you?  There are so many reasons to be grateful!   
          

     For sure, life can be pretty overwhelming sometimes, and it can be tempting to lose sight of all our reasons to be grateful.  However, sometimes, just a little glimpse of the difficulties faced by another can realign our thinking.  
    My brother-in-law sent the following photo essay.  It came at a moment when I thought that I was having a bad day.  Thanks, Rod, if I ever think life couldn't get worse, this gives me a chance to readjust my thinking, feel a little sympathy for others, and also realize how blessed I am.  Perhaps you, the reader, will feel the same.    

How's your day going?

  

 





So, Really, How is Your Day Going?

TODAY'S  AWESOME  BLESSING:    The Realization That Life Is, Actually,  Going Pretty Well!

The Beauty of the Outside World!

     Summer passed so quickly!  Here we are, easing into this transitional season--cool mornings, sunny afternoons, lovely evenings.  I was outside last night.  The air had a slight chill and the sky was clear.  The Big Dipper was easily visible, along with a thousand other stars, the kind of nighttime sky you love to sit and study for awhile.  Cassiopeia, Pisces,  the Great Square--unimaginably far away, yet right there, above me!  For me, there is nothing quite like a clear view of the stars to pique my wonder and amazement at God's vast and inspiring power. 

     I guess I picked up the habit of gazing from my mother.  She used to point things out and encourage me to really look at them.  So, even now, I gaze at everything:  tiny flowers emerging from the lawn in spring; the shape of leaves; the underside of a mushroom.  

     There is so much in the "outside" world that fascinates me, and brings questions to my mind.  How does that huge squash plant come from such a small, flat seed?  Why are strawberries red?  How do the birds know when its time to come north in spring, and when its time to fly south for winter?  What puts the pungent smell in the leathery skin of a hickory nut?  God has made such a wondrous world, and I am so excited to be surrounded by it, every day!

     As a child my mom ordered a set of books for us.  It was called The Book of  Knowledge.  It had a bunch of volumes and every one was a treasure.  Each contained history, poems, kid friendly projects, and a section of questions with answers--the kinds of questions, like the ones above, that every kid asks.
     I was so fortunate to have a mom who appreciated the curiosity of her children and encouraged them to explore their world.  In fact, it was she who first helped me to realize the value of looking up as she pointed out the beautiful Milky Way, making its long, sweeping path across the sky.  We lived in a rural part of Connecticut, and without the intrusion of city lights, the night sky was sparklingly clear and sharply visible.  To this day, I am a star gazer.

     Do you ever contemplate what a blessing it is to be curious, not just about the stars, but about everything?  To ask a question and seek out an answer?  To be free to explore the world?  To read a book, wander through a museum, hike a mountain trail just to see what's there?   Not everyone enjoys such freedom.  Not everyone can pretty much come and go as he pleases.  Not everyone is encouraged to look beneath the surface.  These are such amazing gifts!

     As the days cool, I find myself more and more outside, soaking in the wonder around me. Not long ago my grandson slept over.  Before going to bed we sat on the front porch.  I pointed out the Big Dipper.  He was enthralled and asked if we could look through the binoculars.  Of course!  Would I discourage such curiosity?  Like autumn,  childhood only lasts so long!  We won't be out here come winter, sitting in the snow and cold, so now is our moment.  What a wonderful time of year to enjoy the wonders of nature.  To encourage a new generation of seekers.  To pass along a heritage of curiosity and appreciation for the beauty God has provided in the "outside" world!

TODAY'S  AWESOME  BLESSING:   Having curious grandchildren to share my love of nature!

New Eyes For the Beautiful End to Summer

     On Saturday evening I sat on the garden swing surveying the back yard.  Friends sat next to me.  The sun was just setting and its brilliant rays warmed the evening air.  As we gently rocked back and forth there were generous compliments about the beauty of our back yard.  "It looks like it should be a painting," commented one friend.
     I'm so used to this scene. Everything looked familiar and unremarkable to me.  So, for a few moments I tried to see it through new eyes:  a wheel barrow and hoe leaning against the apple tree; green and red peppers, growing fat and full, nearly ready to be picked; tomatoes ripening; the herb bed filled with thyme, sage, rosemary and more;  grapevines trailing over the fence--planted in our neighbor's yard, a sweet gift spilling over into ours.  "Take whatever's on your side," they tell us.  I realize that Robert Frost was right,  "good fences [hanging heavy with grapes, do] make good neighbors"!
     My friend is correct, this is a beautiful scene.  How did I become so blind to it in my daily walk around the yard, gathering vegetables for dinner or herbs for sauces and soups?   Where does our vision go as we hurry through the everyday routines of life?  How many other precious sights, quietly extended blessings, beautiful moments have I missed as I've gone about the tasks of each day?
     It's true, and not always our fault, that we are in a rush.  Life can be so demanding.  There are requirements to be fulfilled, many expectations to be met.  Lingering is not always possible or permitted.  In the process, unfortunately, we can become absorbed in the day's routines, failing to see the beauties so immediately before us. 
     I am grateful for my friend.  Her eyes were open and ready to see the unique scene.  Her gentle encouragement opened my eyes, too.  I felt such a sense of peace and pleasure as I viewed my small plot, just bursting with the evidence that nature supplies our wants, for both body and soul.  I had eagerly partaken of the vegetables, fruits and herbs to feed my body, but had neglected the food that was right there, waiting to feed my soul.  So, for a moment, the dishes can wait.  The phone can ring.  The shopping can be done later.  These days won't always be with me.  Taking time to enjoy their peace and beauty causes my heart to swell, my gratitude to multiply tenfold.
     We think so much of our temporal needs:  bills to be paid, work to be done; meals to be prepared; shopping;  laundry;  classes to attend;  errands--all so necessary in the scheme of life.  Yet we think so little of the soul that has equally important needs:  time to be filled with the beauty God has provided in nature;  time for quiet;  time for solitude, prayer and thanksgiving.   Perhaps we would be blessed to consider giving a greater share of our time to feeding the soul.


TODAY'S  GENTLE  ENCOURAGEMENT:  LOOK  FOR  A  FEW  WAYS  YOU  COULD   SIMPLIFY  YOUR  LIFE,  LEAVING  SOME  TIME  TO  SEE  THE  BEAUTY  AROUND  YOU, ALLOWING  YOU  THE  OPPORTUNITY   TO  FEED  YOUR  SOUL.