The Perfect Moment

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Some days are better than others. Sometimes I feel as if life is flying by and I'm left standing there in the middle of the living room--wondering what in the world just happened. I'm sure you've all had days like that. Right?

On some evenings when everything is going as planned it is a beautiful moment to me. A lull in the storms of life. I have a wonderful dinner in the oven, the snow is falling gently outside, the light from the candles I keep in my front windows spills out onto the snowy ground, the kids are quietly working, my husband and I share a joke, I have everything checked off of my to do list for the day, I finally have time to just sit back and relax.....a beautiful moment in time....when everything is perfect.

If you are anything like me, you love those moments. They might be few and far between, but when they happen...well...they are just beautiful.

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The Beauty Of Your Smile

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It doesn't matter if you have straight teeth, or if you ever even wore braces.  Movie star whitened teeth are not mandatory.

A smile is one of the easiest things a person can wear. It doesn't cost any money. Anyone can do it.

A genuine smile is a beautiful thing. A smile is the outward expression of a happy heart. That is what makes it so beautiful.

*The smiles of the young couple on their first date. The promise of what the future might hold.

*The smile of new parents who see their precious baby for the first time.

*The smile of a wife that makes her husband feel secure.

*The smile of a husband that makes his wife feel loved.

*The smile of a friend. So much to catch up on!

*The smile of a parent that sees their military child disembark from the plane, safe and sound.

*The smile of a child as he pets his new puppy.

The smile says so much, without saying a word...and that is what makes it so beautiful.

Will you share a smile today?

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Life Is Beautiful

I'm beginning a new, week long series at my blog. One I hope you will enjoy reading.

My blog entry from yesterday was very true. Life IS unfair. There are difficult times that we all go through in this journey, called life.

BUT......this series will be different. This series will be about the beauty found in everyday life. The special moments-- that transcend the hard times. My hope is that  we can all take a moment to appreciate the things in each of our lives, that make life beautiful.

Beginning this series will force me to take the time to observe and appreciate the beauty in the every day. I will be more aware of the little things (or not so little things) that cause me to smile. I'm excited about it. I'm ready. Life really is beautiful...and I want to share it with you.

 

The sun was just creeping up over the horizon as I walked into the kitchen this morning. The blue, early morning  light made the kitchen glow. It is a beautiful, quiet time.  Soon the sky was filled with pinks, purples, blues, and reds. The sun never lets me down, as it shares it's painted colors, boldly splashed across a dark blue sky. At my house the sun comes up over the vast expanse of  a farm field that is busily "sleeping" this winter. I like looking at the space that surrounds me. It makes me happy that I escaped the close quarters of city life.  Even though the fields are brown right now, I know that there will be life in those rows of dirt in a few short months. It reminds me that life goes on.

The field across the road from me, and directly in my view from the kitchen window...are my neighbor's llamas. Life is new in that field. I see the small, baby llama with it's mama. He (or she) looks like a brown cotton ball with teeny stick-like legs.  There is something that mesmerizes me about the llamas. I could sit and just watch them all day. It is my little section of the animal kingdom to quietly observe. I hope my neighbors decide to keep llamas forever. I'd be so sad if they left.

I would love it, if my readers would take a moment to write down something that makes life beautiful for them...the comment doesn't have to be long....or it can be. It is up to you.  Help me to see life's beauty through your eyes.

 

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God's Story

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Life has joy mixed with sorrow. Incredible highs punctuated with incredible lows. Births and marriages. Smiles and friendships, scattered amongst deaths, chronic illness, financial challenges and broken promises.

There are so many people that I know that are going through difficult times. People that are hurting because life has handed them situations that seem almost impossible to handle.

*Family members that continue to fight through treatments to rid their bodies of cancer. Their bodies are tired.

*A friend whose husband has to face early onset Alzheimers in his 40's...and she has to watch it.  It seems so unfair.

*A friend of a friend who woke up yesterday morning to find her teen had passed away during the night. And a mother's heart breaks.

*A woman from my home school group who said goodbye to her husband one morning in early November, he died hours later in an accident. And she is lonely.

* A mother who has three children and all three children are on the autism scale. She feels overwhelmed.

*Friends whose hearts are broken because of divorce. And they feel like failures.

*Financial devastation. Lost jobs. Foreclosures. And they are scared.

It's easy to love God when life is going well. When the bills are paid, the house is warm, and the family is safe. How do I feel about Him when life is hard and seems unfair to me? I thought I wasn't supposed to get more than I could handle? WHERE IS GOD?!

Not being able to get pregnant again after my only child. A first husband who died from a chronic illness. A father who chose to take his own life. A second husband who lost his job of 22 years. Pain. Broken dreams. Confusion. Scared. I have been there.

Life isn't fair. I said it out loud. It tastes bitter in my mouth. I gag on the pain of saying it. And yet it is true.

Bad things happen to good people. Bad things happen to bad people. Good things happen to both. It really doesn't make any sense by itself.

Each of our lives must be looked at in the scope of eternity. Each of our lives is but a chapter in God's great story of redemption. When we just "read" our chapter, most of the time it doesn't make sense by itself. It seems jumbled and confusing. And not fair. It is impossible for us to fully understand how we fit into the story...how our chapter is interwoven with others.

But God does. He knows. His story began before time. He is an exceptional and deliberate writer. He sees each smile, and marks every tear. As He penned the story He already knew how it would end. Each of us is a part of His grand story of redemption. In light of His son, Jesus Christ, everything begins to make sense. It is Jesus that makes this story special. And real. And alive.

It is He, that is the main character in God's story of redemption. The reader begins to see the central theme of God's story is love.

Love for a hurting and dying world.

 

 

 

 

 

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Standing On Stage

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The lights dim. The audience hushes. The curtain parts.

I stand on the stage, alone. The spotlight is on me.

And I wonder to myself if the people will like me? Do they want to hear what I have to say? Will they laugh with me? Will they cry? Will they see themselves in me? Will they care if I miss a line or will they smirk at my mistakes?

I clear my throat...and, I begin to speak.

Life is like a stage for all of us, isn't it? Some days we are the witty ones full of good one liners. Other days we are the tragic hero/heroine, who is able to withstand life's hardships. There are the days when playing the villain seems more the choice of character. Sometimes our play is a roller coaster ride of emotions. Sigh. We are all so complex.

On days when I feel the pressure to "perform"  for others... When I try to be everything for everybody...I have to quietly remind myself that I should only be concerned about the audience of one.

One. The only one that really matters. God watches me....as I stand on the stage.

I matter to Him.

Not because of anything I did. Quite the contrary.To be honest, my performance can be lousy. I get nervous. I forget my lines. I feel the sweat trickle down my back. I weep at my lack of skill.

He loves me.

He really loves me. He said so.

I stand on the stage at the end of the performance. My eyes strain to see Him as the lights come up.

He stands and walks toward me.

All the difficult practice, the memorization, the ups and downs of life on the stage, all melt away. It's now just the two of us.

No other critiques or reviews matter except for ONE.

It is HIS voice I long to hear. It is HIS words that make my heart sing. It is HIM that I long to please.

His words resonant in my heart.

"Well done my good and faithful servant."

 

 

 

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Cruising Right Along

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We had a very nice visit with family over the Christmas/New Year holidays. We left upstate New York to come back home to west central Ohio. Roughly five hours into the trip, we were cruising along, making good time. Tired, and expecting to get home in the early evening.

My husband: Um..something isn't right.

Me: What are you talking about? The kids are being good. I'm nice and warm. You beat me at the alphabet game. What could be wrong?

Husband: The battery light just came on.

Me: Huh?! This cannot be happening. Should we lay hands on the van and offer up prayers?

Husband: I'm pulling over at the next exit.

Me: The clock isn't working. Great. Big sigh.

Husband: We're going to find an Auto Zone

Long story short... Went to Auto Zone. Shout out to Rob who works at that Auto Zone in Mentor, Ohio. (outside of Cleveland) We needed an alternator. Oh yea! It's always so much fun to break down on a long road trip. In the winter. In northern Ohio. We are such a lucky family!

I have to say, the boys were very good during this whole shebang. Didn't complain. Were helpful. Honestly, they were next to perfect on this trip. (Are these just pod children? Where are my REAL children?)  Thank you, boys!

My husband is my superman. It was already dark. He put an alternator in our van, with only a parking lot light (our flashlight broke...go figure). He looked up a step by step "how to put in a new alternator" on our mini van, on the internet. ( Kudos to the internet for having how to's for just about anything one could possibly ever need. Ever.) Wouldn't you know on our van that the alternator is towards the bottom under a bunch of other thing a ma bobs, and whatcha ma call its. (my words) Not only was it dark at 8:30, but it was cold, being that we were right off of Lake Erie. My sweet hubby did everything he needed to do and the van ran perfectly on the way home. I told him how impressed I was with him. I could never do what he did. That is not be being humble. That is me being completely honest.

I love my guy. He rocks. I think I'm gonna start calling him MacGyver.

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1-1-11

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Last night, I watched the people in Times Square, New York. That is as close as I ever want to be to NYC on New Years Eve. Seriously. When I was much younger, I enjoyed going out on New Year's Eve and celebrating. Those days are gone. I am now old. I've embraced this fact.

1. First of all, I tend towards claustrophobia. I would start freaking out if I had to stand in that crowd.

2. Number two, and most importantly...where do people go to the bathroom in Times Square? This is a HUGE consideration for me, as God gave me a temperamental bladder.

3. I feel for the poor people that have to clean up all the confetti/ticker tape. Can you imagine the mess from all that?

4. At midnight everyone in Times Square was kissing. I wonder if they were kissing people they knew? Or just whoever was around? Just sayin'. People get caught up in the excitement and might go on a crazy kissing jag. That could be embarrassing. Or not:)

5. Here, back at the ranch, my husband was already in bed...sound asleep. He wished me a happy new year before hitting the sack.  The kids, my father-in-law, and I brought in the new year in the comfort of the living room. After wishing everyone a Happy New Year, I went to bed.

6. I have not made any formal resolutions. I'm very goal oriented anyway, so I will just keep plugging along...and that way I won't break any resolutions. Makes sense, right? Resolutions...yada, yada, yada,

7. I like watching the news on New Year's Day. All the trends from last year...the big news stories... As morbid as it is, I'm always intrigued by who died the previous year.

8. I don't watch the Rose Bowl parade or any football games. Don't hate me.

That's all I've got right now.

The family is going to a New Years get together today. Food, fellowship, and fun. A great way to start 2011.

 

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