A Quiet Evening At Home

There is so much to see

When I take the time to really look.

Father, help me to walk through life

with my eyes wide open.

Appreciating

Thanking

For all things great

and small.

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Do Not Worry About Tomorrow

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The backpack is far too heavy for me. I am hunched over from the struggle of having to carry it. It strains me almost to the point of exhaustion.

I'm weighed down by everything I have shoved in there.

Finances.

Relationships.

Marriage.

The Daily Routine.

The Mundane.

Accidents.

Decisions.

Weather.

School.

Children.

The past.

The future.

Illness.

Health.

The things of life, that I worry over.

Each one seemingly so important that I feel I must carry it.

These things that I continually shove in my own personal backpack.

Sometimes it is so full I can't even zip it shut. Just when I think there is room for nothing else...I squeeze another worry in.

I cannot continue like this.

"Father, this is so difficult for me. I don't want to worry, but worry creeps back to me. I say I trust You. I give you the backpack, but then I take it back again. The worry feels comfortable to me...even if it is painful.

Father, will you help me? Help me to trust you more. I need your words from Matthew 6:34 to soothe my tired back. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things."

Lord, you are so much more capable to carry my burdens than I am. Forgive me for not trusting you more."

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Noises Of The Every Day

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It is in the quiet when I hear His voice.

The TV blares the day's latest news.

The kids are talking.

The phone rings.

I hear my husband's voice as he answers a call.

The dishwasher hums.

My computer keys click.

Music plays.

The dogs bark.

I live in a cacophony of noises.

Noises of the every day. Noises of urgency. Noises of my life.

My soul realizes that something is missing.  I long for the quiet peace that comes from just being in His presence.

Just being with Him, the One who created me, and knows me most intimately.

I come to be renewed. Rejuvenated. Cleansed.

I sit at His feet and listen.

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What A Wonderful World

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How many times do we stop in our busy lives...really stop...and enjoy the world that God has created? HIS handiwork is a beautiful thing. Each season brings beauty of its own. I am constantly amazed at the beauty of trillions of sparkling stars in the onyx night sky. The sight of falling snow quietly blanketing the world, reminding me to slow down. The green of springtime, the color burst of Fall. Rainy days, and hot sticky nights.

It truly is a beautiful world.

 

Louis Armstrong knew something about beauty.

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD

(George Weiss / Bob Thiele)

 I see trees of green, red roses too
 I see them bloom for me and you
 And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

 I see skies of blue and clouds of white
 The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
 And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

 The colours of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky
 Are also on the faces of people going by
 I see friends shakin' hands, sayin' "How do you do?"
 They're really saying "I love you"

 I hear babies cryin', I watch them grow
 They'll learn much more than I'll ever know
 And I think to myself, what a wonderful world
 Yes, I think to myself, what a wonderful world

 Oh yeah

 

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The Chilean Miners

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Did you watch the drama unfold in Chile, yesterday?

1. It's nice to watch GOOD news on TV, isn't it?

2. I loved watching the men hug their family members.

3. I teared up.

4. It must have been scary being in a hole for 60+ days.

5. One of the men told his family..."There were 34 of us down there, because God was there with us. He never left us."

6. That gives me chills.

7. I'm so glad they all survived.

8. We all NEED the good news.

9. People around the world watched the events unfold.

10. We were all cheering them on.

I wish them all well.

 

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Feeling Beautiful

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It's interesting that last week I read not one, but two blogs about female beauty. The blogs weren't written by women. Both blogs were written by men, and they were both very thoughtful...and in my opinion very insightful. It got me to thinking....

1. What is true beauty?

2. Is it only the physical?

3. Or is that just what we are taught?

4. The truth is those women that are physically beautiful, don't really have to work at it.

5. I remember a quote from a famous model.

6. She said something like, "Please don't love me because I'm beautiful. My beauty isn't something I earned, or am good at. I was born this way."

7. She used her physical beauty for a living, to make money, but it isn't the only thing she wanted to be remembered for. She understood that her physical beauty would one day fade, she wanted more than that.

8. I just thought that was interesting.

9. Women are beautiful...it's just that many women don't see it.

10. They have been trained to see only the flaws, not the beauty.

11. A beautiful smile that lights up her whole face...and is contagious to those around her.

12. A beautiful mind that questions and debates.

13.  Beautiful hands that reach out to help others... and arms that give hugs.

14. Laughter that is contagious.

15. Strong legs that can walk for miles.

16. Eyes that seem to look into the soul, or twinkle with mischief.

17. Witty banter.

18. Goofy grins.

19. Ponytails.

20 and Pixie cuts.

21. Short, Tall, or inbetween.

22. Mothers, sisters, daughters, friends.

23. There is a lot more to beauty than the latest styles or expensive "lotions and potions"...

24. And I think most men would agree.

25. True beauty can't be bought.

26. A truly beautiful woman will have people drawn to her.

27. Not because of her hair color.

28. Or because she is ultra thin.

29. But because she emanates confidence and her own personal style.

30. Her beauty shines.

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