Give It A Rest

Take a pause, you certainly have cause.
You act like you require permission.
Look at you in such a worn down condition.
Rest your head, your feet, and your thoughts.
Trust more, worry less.
Give it to God; He knows the answer.
You don't have to struggle.
You don't have to guess.

He's telling you to be at rest, you are blessed.
The struggle is over.....
The fight can be considered an excellent test of your character.
Just now, I am telling you......Finally, give it a rest!!

The View In The Rear View Mirror

Several springs ago, I went out to be a part of the beauty and splendor. It went something like this:


The last few days the weather has been beyond desirable. Warm sun, cool breeze, bright blue sky, and to put the cherry on top, the evidence of spring catches your eye from every corner.

My trusty, furry friend, Emma and I took a walk one day. We had been adjusting to our routine in a new neighborhood with unknown places to walk and explore. From Emma's perspective, the new things to sniff caused her nub of a tail to wag continuously. 

We walked together in comfy companionship, enjoying every sight, sound, and smell. Soon,we were met with a hill that began to feel a bit like a mountain. I dared to look back and to my surprise, we had traveled a good distance. We had a ways to go to reach the top, but it encouraged my heart to see the strides we had made. The view was quite lovely and a thought began to form as we continued up the hill. 

Looking back in life's rear view mirror is usually not suggested or encouraged in any way. We all remember Lot's wife and no one wants that experience. Living with regret or talking yourself into believing it was all so much better the way things once were, is never a good idea. 

What about an assessment of how far we have come from the place we started? Look back and see the height you have reached in your ability to be a loving and supportive spouse, or an encouraging and effective parent, a valued employee or boss, the way you play the piano, or react to a frustrating situation....it is all progress.

We are doing these things one step, one day, one tiny moment at a time and it helps to pause and realize how far you've come. Let the progress urge you forward to reach greater heights. If you get tired along the way, stretch out your hand and open your heart; God will grab your hand and pull you further than your imagination alone could ever carry you.

Monkey Bars

Monkey Bars, Falling Stars,

Half Eaten Peanut Butter Jars.

Quizzical Brow, Matching Smile.

Come, Sit, Relax...Stay Awhile.

Aaah, life's  experiences, so many to recount and too  many to recall.

Grasp one bar, reach for the next...let go; grasp another and repeat.

Monkey bars....the way to get from one end to the other. 

When you are 5, 6, and 7, this is always an exciting feat.

As goes life:

The way to move forward is to know when to hold on....

when to let go

and when to take hold of something new. 

Your time is long overdue, 

your life is not finished because you feel depleted.

When you stretch yourself forward, the new chapter begins.

Fresh, exciting, unknown, untried. 

The past is in position....permanently 

behind....lived out....Completed!!

The future; it is beyond us.

Today is ready for you to be a part of it. 

Turn the page, let the chapter unfold. 

You never know what is waiting. 

Life lived fully

is absolutely PURE GOLD!!

   

Invisible Heroes

Are you the hero in your own life? Are you the person who knows where the car keys are and which corner the teeny tiny part to that last "fix it" project has found its way into? Did you happen to be the one to check the air pressure in the tires and add a quart of oil to keep the car rolling along safely? Mow the grass so your children can play soccer in the back yard? Hold your father's hand while he quietly kept vigil over his brother's hospital bed? Did you lay out the clothes before they were requested? Did you make dinner, adding that extra ingredient of love that inexplicably makes it all taste that much better? Well, I can promise, you that if you answered "no" to my first question and "yes" to some of the others, or could to some similar, you, my friend, are someone's hero.

You should look at that face in the mirror and forget the freckles, the chicken pox scar on your forehead, and your unruly cowlick. Look, instead, at the person who is comfort, fun, wisdom, and the glue that the people in your life love and depend on so completely. When they look at you, this is what they see, not to mention the reflection of every good thing about themselves that can be seen in your eyes, each time they look your way.

A hero by Webster's definition: Any person, especially a man, admired for qualities or achievements and regarded as an ideal or model.....A central figure in any important event or period, honored for outstanding qualities.

When we go through our days quietly making a difference and making a mark, not seen at first glance, it is easy to miss the treasure trail we leave as we walk through the day to day "stuff". But, it IS there and it WILL make a difference that matters in the moment and eternally. Words that are lived, rather than words that are spoken, impress the heart and leave the mind and heart of those in our company with an effect that changes everything. God sent us His Word in the flesh and it is this Word lived out, not just spoken, that changed it all forever.

A hero, by my definition, is a person who lives a life quietly, leading by example all those who will follow, to the foot of the cross. There is no other path worth wasting even one footfall on, one whisper to encourage
an alternate route. I will repeat my question.....Do you see yourself as a hero?

                                                            GOD DOES!

LOTS

3/4th of an acre.....

Would you like whipped cream on that??.......

The details of life; those that are yours alone to shoulder.

Could be a purchase of property.....
Could be you loove whipped cream....
Could be your present challenge is looming large....

Take your pick. Hand in hand, God will stand with you true.
Things of old, everything anew.

For all of it
     He is with you..........

The other side is a real place, He will get you through
because first, last, and always God loves you...

LOTS and LOTS!!!!!!!!!!!

Sea Shells

Sea Shells, Salty water

Grains of Sand

The sun is so bright

I protect my eyes with the shade of my hand.

Rocks smooth and shiny

tumbled and tossed

by the power of  the sea.

Rolling waves, crashing sounds

All of this is surrounding me.

Walking, looking, comparing,

rejecting, accepting.

The stones and shells I select, each one

a sweet memory.

Whispers

Whispers, Humming Birds

Soft Gentle Comforting Words

A Soft Reply...A Warm Embrace

We need the tender, the cozy 

the safe and secure spots in Life.

To rejuvenate, restore, reflect, often to give us

opportunity to detect 

a corner of our minds or our hearts in need of attention and repair.

This time is encouraged, down right necessary, to avoid

the creeping in of despair.

Ever vigilant ever aware.

Kick the thought to the curb

that you shouldn't dare.

Be at rest, receive the love, its ethereal

instruction from your Father above.