A Topsy-Turvy Week!

Haven't had much sleep the last few days. I think it's because of a new medication. Whatever the reason, it's made me a bit loopy, and the fibro fog is a bit thicker than usual this week!  Did I say a BIT thicker! Actually, the last couple of days, it's been thicker than pea soup!

The blessings continue to flow though, so I'm not really complaining! We had several inches of much-needed rain in our area over the weekend, then Monday started out with a beautiful sky. There were a few small puffy white clouds, but it was mainly a clear blue ceiling above us!

Somehow, this topsy-turvy week has gotten me to thinking about some things, like why things happen the way the do. There have been times in my life when I've wondered why is it that the good always die too soon, and the wicked continue to prosper. Well, the truth is, they aren't really prospering, it just seems that way!

When you take the time to really sit down and think about it, you begin to realize just how sad it is. Some have more wealth than they will ever be able to use in a lifetime, while others struggle to have barely enough food to eat.

The problem with this picture is that while the rich have all their wealth, and all the possessions that it will buy, the one thing they may not have in abundance is happiness. There are some things that money just can't buy. If they don't have the Lord in their life, they don't have true happiness. If they don't have true happiness, then life is empty indeed. Think about it - all they have is their riches! How far will those riches really get them, and how long will they last.

Those riches won't buy them good health, or happiness, or life eternal. What they have here - that's all there is. Now what can be more sad than that?!

On the other hand, many of the poor are able to deal with their lot in life because they have the Lord to get them through whatever comes their way. They know that they are just travelers passing through, and once they reach their destination, they will lack for nothing!

What a awesome feeling. What a destination to look forward to. What a wonderful bundle of hope to sustain us on life's journey. There are many transitions that come and go during our journey through life, but if you have a heavenly Best Friend who will travel step-by-step with you, and you have eternal life to look forward to, what more could you possibly want or need?

Ahhhh . . . Fall

It's that time of year when Fall is trying very hard to peek around the corner, yet Summer is still trying to hang on for dear life! I'm so anxious for the cooler temperatures of Fall to come and stay, and for Summer to go into hibernation for a few months.

I'm one of those who has always had to march to my own music, my own drummer. While others are busily planning winter projects of crafts and baking, and preparing for the upcoming holidays, my mind is slowly transitioning into a season of renovation, followed by a season of rest. It's my slow time of year.

As Spring comes around each year, many are ready to move out of the gray doldrums of Winter and start working on their Spring cleaning at the first signs of greenery. For me, Spring is a lazy time of year, but come late Summer and Fall, I'm ready for new beginnings and ambitious changes before the restful Winter season.

As Fall prepares to show it's face, my thoughts are turning to my own personal Fall transitions. I'm no longer working this year, so have high hopes for a total transition in my home and within myself. Much to my joy, this is the year I have the time to make a lot of the changes I'd like to make. I've spent the Summer months slowly decluttering and downsizing. Nothing major, but just little things that need to be gone. Worn out shirts, books read too many times, old magazines, and all the little bric-a-brac that seems to appear from nowhere, or just kind of builds up when we aren't paying attention.

Since I recently moved, I have pictures that still need to be hung, decorative items to place here and there, and just a changing and settling in of everything in general.

Life is good, and I'm looking forward to a lot of positive changes taking place throughout the coming months. These changes will not only be environmental, but personal also. My spiritual life needs daily attention, and prayer and meditation upon the things that are important in my life - the things that really matter.

The things that really matter are not things that money can buy, or the gifts we share with each other, The important things are the people and experiences that have made us who we are, right down to the very core of our beings. It's about our priorities, our relationships, and most of all, our relationship with God.

Every season has it's special qualities, and for each of us, every season represents something different. For me, I like the peaceful quiet and slowness of the Fall and Winter months. It becomes a time to refresh and re-energize my mind and my body for the busy times ahead. For some, Winter is a time of sadness and doldrums, and they eagerly await the time of rebirth and freshness that is Spring.

Historically, Fall is a time of nostalgia and change for me. Nostalgia for me is a peaceful frame of mind - a time of memories, thoughts of changes to come, and hope for new beginnings in my future. I don't see Fall as a time of death and loss. For me, it is a time of preparation for a season of rest and quiet - a hibernation of sorts - before Spring pops up again, needing all the energy required for rebirth and new growth!

As the leaves change color and fall to the forest floor, I too, will peel off the layers of a busy Spring and Summer. Now is the time to prepare for a quiet settling in for the Winter months. 

Life can be grand in every season, simply because each season has its own rewards. Every season can be what we make of it. Whatever your favorite and most peaceful season is, I hope that Fall will be good to you and bring you much joy!

Life is good, and every day is a blessing!! Enjoy it to the fullest!

Long time gone . . .

 

It's been a long time since I've been here. It seems after my mom died last year, the blog seem to die for a while too. Maybe for a while I just didn't have the heart, but now it feels like the time is right to start again and share the stories and notes about the transitions of my life.

As I sit here enjoying a cup of chamomile tea, I think about all that has happened in my life since I last blogged here. Some things haven't changed. The Lord continues to bless me richly with His constant care and guidance. My health has gone downhill a bit, but life is still good, and every day is a blessing from the Lord! 

He has challenged me, comforted me, corrected me, and led me in the ways that I should go. He's been my Rock - from helping me pick up the pieces after mom died, to meeting new challenges in my life. He is definitely my Rock!

I am no longer working as the manager of the senior apartment complex where I live. I had to step down because of health issues, but I am now the assistant manager with  new "subtitles" of Activities Director and Newsletter Editor. I enjoy both jobs and hope to be successful at both. 

We are trying hard to get some new activities going and liven this place up a bit, but over the last couple of years, it's been hard to get enough people interested in any one activity - other than bingo - to make anything work. Even half of our bingo players are non-residents who come to enjoy an afternoon with us. Everyone enjoys the weekly bingo games though and that's what counts.

Over the last year or so, we have been going through a transition here, where a lot of our older tenants have had to leave because they aren't able to live alone anymore, or they have passed away. We are slowly but surely getting in a younger, or at least healthier, group of residents here, so I'm hoping we can get some things going.

Our new manager is a real asset to our complex and I'm so glad he is here. I couldn't keep up with the job anymore, but when he came on, he hit the floor running and is doing a great job! So many of the changes that I wanted to get done, but couldn't - he has been able to accomplish. That has made me feel very good, because these were things that we as residents needed, or that needed to be done within the complex. I'm so happy to see these things getting done at long last. Our new manager is so full of energy and great ideas. He and I think a lot alike on many things, so our working together is a good match! His wife is a real sweetheart and I enjoy talking with her also.

For tonight, I will stop and enjoy my cup of tea. But I'll be back and share with you more of the "happenings" in my life! May God be with you and bless your life as richly as He has blessed mine!

I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalm 34:1

Strangers On a Common Path

By chance, I met a lady from Sicily today, who is going through the same transition that I have been going through. She lost her mother just a couple of weeks before my mother died, and we shared a lot of what we had been going through. She also works full time at the grocery store where I shop, and like me, she had to rearrange her life to care for her mother. Now that we are no longer under the burden of constantly juggling our time between work and caring for an ailing parent, there is a sense of relief, appreciation of more free time, and . . . guilt . . . because we feel the relief.

Neither of us begrudged our mothers the time they needed from us. We would still be gladly giving to each of them if they were still with us. At the same time, there's no denying that it was a difficult and exhausting time! We were both sandwiched in between two generations who needed us, and the responsibility felt very heavy at times.

We shared stories and emotions and understanding. Just a chance meeting of two hearts and minds full of the same emotions and thoughts regarding the transitions that we were experiencing since the passing of our beloved mothers.
It's interesting how a bit of unexpected conversation with another traveller on your path can truly be medicine for the soul. God has His own ways of bringing us relief from the stresses of our journey, and providing the encouragement that we greatly need to face the transitions that are ahead.

God is good!

Transitioning to a Simpler Life!

I was enjoying a friend's blog earlier this evening and one thing led to another - literally. She had a lot of links to other blogs, so I checked out a few of those also. Most of them concerned homemaking skills, recipes, hobbies, and other varied interests along those lines.

The ones that seemd to grab my attention the most though, were the ones that spoke of simplifying one's life, and the many different ways to go about accomplishing that. These are the ones that seemed to touch a new need within myself, to declutter and simplify my own life.

I no longer have the desire to have my life governed by my job or my possessions. When I leave the office, I want to truly leave the office - both in body and in spirit. When I arrive at home, I want to relax in a clutter-free zone, and yet live in an environment that speaks of who I am. While my decor tends to be a bit eclectic, there is still the need for order and simplicity.

How is it that we pick up so many different possessions and collections of "things" over the years? How does it start? Does it start with the childish collections that began small, and grow with us, as we grow into adulthood? Can one enjoy a hobby or special interest without it taking over your shelves or your life?

I guess it all comes down to deciding what's important to you. Do you really cherish all those little knickknacks, or has the collection just become a habit that you don't know how to break? Do you really read, or intend to read, all those books, or listen to all that music that you've collected? What is really important to you - deep down within yourself? What gives you peace of mind and the ability to relax?

As always, it's a decision that must be left to the individual, and that individual's ability to prioritize all the "clutter" of life that surrounds us day in and day out. After all, one man's clutter may very well be another man's joy!

These are just the late night ramblings of a tired and cluttered mind . . . and yet, I sense the coming of another transition - just around the corner . . .

Sunshine Beautiful

Outside it was a gray, wet, and very windy day yesterday. Yet, in my heart, it was sunshine beautiful, because I am getting daily reminders of God's love and comfort. He reminds in so many ways, not only of His constant presence, but also of the lessons that my mother taught me during the last year of her life.

Growing up, I remember that my mother was both stubborn and impatient, but in her later years, she really mellowed a lot. By doing that, she taught me that there is hope for her stubborn, impatient daughter!

In the last year of her life, it seemed at times, as if the Lord and my mother were teaming up to show me a better way of life. She had mellowed to the point that very little ruffled her, and when something did upset her, she would say, "I can't allow things to upset me, I just have to pray about it and leave it to the Lord."

It was the little, every day things, that showed me how much my mother had allowed the Lord to make changes in her life. We mended some serious rifts during her last year, and grew closer than we had ever been. Maybe it was the "mending of the fences" that made me more attentive to what she had to say. Yet, it wasn't so much what she said, as what she did. She constantly looked to the Lord for her strength, and by her actions, she helped to strengthen my spiritual walk. I told her that one time, and her response was that she couldn't have made the changes without the Lord's help.

After having a massive stroke a year before her death, she felt very blessed to still be alive. Every day she gave credit to the Lord for another day of life. She almost died again four months later, but the Lord blessed once again. My mother often told me that she didn't know why she was still here on this earth. She figured it was either because the Lord had something He wanted her to do, or that she still had lessons to learn. Whichever it was, she was grateful for each and every day.

I'm thinking maybe He had lessons for ME to learn . . .

Hear my instruction and be wise, and do not disdain it. Proverbs 8:33

He's Always There . . . He's Everywhere!

Every day is a different day now. Each day is another day without our beloved matriarch, and the loss for our family has been great! When the phone rings, I wonder if it's her. When I hear something amusing, or something interesting, my first thought is to share it with her.

Now especially, I am so thankful for my heavenly Best Friend! He has been my Comforter and my Rock through all of this. Sometimes when I lie in bed at night, I can almost physically feel His arms around me, comforting me with His love and understanding. After all, He's already been down that path. He knows all about the emotional pain of loss.

No matter how great the loss, or how deep the pain, He can and will, ease the hurt. I've seen His love in the faces of friends and family who shared our grief. I've felt His comfort in the touch of those who have sympathized with our loss.

He is everywhere! No matter where I turn, day or night, He is there! His Words of scripture comfort me in the early morning hours, and my evening prayers thank Him for the strength He has given me to get through another day.

God is good. He is everywhere. He is my Rock.

Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord. Psalm 27:14.

Death of a Generation

My mother passed away a little over a week ago, and it was the end of an era for our family. Her parents were long ago deceased, and she was the last of six siblings. It was the death of a generation.

She was our matriarch, our rock. She was the one we all turned to with our joys, our sorrows, our troubles, or just because we had something we wanted to share with her.

She encouraged us, sympathized with us, and was our leader in her spiritual faith, but she was never our judge.

I don’t think my mother ever had a full realization of how special people thought she was. She went through life just doing what she thought needed to be done, without expecting anything in return. While she was small in stature, she wore some very big shoes that no one else will ever be able to fill.

On the night that my mother died, my niece, Candice Danforth Horton, wrote a poem that I think speaks very accurately of who my mother was, and how her family felt about her. I'd like to share that with you now.

Margie

All my life you were there when I needed you
But somehow you slowly slipped away
Part of me feels the sadness
But mostly I feel the pain

And sometimes I feel the rage
Some days I feel just the love
In small moments I see a light shining
And sometimes I just feel numb

All the bittersweet memories flood my mind
As I sit alone in this empty room
I used to think that we’d have forever
But forever came far too soon

There’s so much that I needed to tell you
So much I never got to say
Yet I know that you always knew
That I loved you anyway

You brought out the best in everyone
And you were the best of us all
You never lost your faith in anyone
No matter how far we’d fall

You touched more lives than you knew
All your children young and old
Small things may in time be forgotten
But no one will forget your heart of gold

If ever you were given the chance
You would give all that you could
You put yourself last in everything
Holding to all that was pure and good

No one will forget the many children
Who you so gently took into your care
Nor will we forget the work you did
Or the faith you were so willing to share

You were the matriarch of our family
The center rock on which we all could stand
And no matter where there was a need
You always lent a helping hand

Everyone to you was important
You were unbiased and kind, full of truth
Giving everyone a chance, only seeing good
And your smile brightly lit every room

Wisdom and love were your tools
As you had lived many lifetimes in one
A depression and a war, family and church
86 years and now your work is done

You had many names; mom, grandma, great grandmother
And Grandpa called you honey, wife and dear
You were aunt, teacher, nurse and friend
But it’s Margie we lay to rest here

~ Candice Horton ~
January 17, 2009

Is It Really Thanksgiving?

Is It Really Thanksgiving?

Is it really Thanksgiving, or is it simply a holiday full of food, football games, and family reunions? Do you ever really think about what Thanksgiving means to you, or do you just go through all the motions of the family traditions – who’s going to cook the turkey, who’s going to bring the pies, and who’s going to figure out the seating so there are no arguments or hard feelings?

Well, to me Thanksgiving is more than just a date on the calendar, and a day full of food and partying. To me, Thanksgiving is a day that I traditionally give thanks for all my blessings, and believe me when I say that I often feel as if I’ve had more than my share of blessings!

To me, Thanksgiving is being thankful for all the Lord’s blessings. It’s being thankful for my family, and thankful for those who serve us at the risk of life and limb. Our firefighters, police officers, and emergency service personnel.

It’s also about being truly thankful for the men and women of all ages who really do sacrifice life and limb for the freedoms that we enjoy! It’s being thankful for the active duty members of our military, as well as the veterans who gave their all!

Do you have any active duty military personnel in your family, or any veterans? Have you ever thought to thank them for what they have done for YOU? When they chose to serve our country, they did it for YOU, not just everyone else. They left behind mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, husbands, wives and children, and gave their all for us!

I spent twenty years as a military wife, and my children grew up as “Navy brats” so I am quite familiar with the sacrifices made not only by the military personnel, but by their families! I’ve seen the mothers and fathers who spend months on end being a single parent – trying to be both mom and dad and hold it all together! I’ve seen the mothers and fathers who pray every day that their son or daughter will make it home. I’ve seen the children who cry for the missing parent. I know about the heartache of the parent who is overseas and is missing not only his or her child’s milestones, but the little every day things that take place in a growing child’s life. I know about the missed birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays!

Although Veteran’s Day was November 11th, well before Thanksgiving Day, I hope that you will take a few moments out of your festivities on Thanksgiving Day to say a prayer for our Veterans, as well as all of our service personnel who will be spending the holiday far away from their families, in a dangerous situation in a strange country. Better yet, take the time to personally thank a veteran for what they have done for our country – meaning YOU!!

Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving Day!

Old People

Old people are slow.

Old people are grouchy.

Old people talk too much.

Old people are our past - our history.

Old people are often an untapped goldmine of treasure.

Have you ever sat and talked with an old person? Have you ever listened to what they have to say? I don't mean with half an ear on the television, or giving an occasional "uh huh."

I mean, have you ever really listened to what they have to say? Have you heard their stories - their history?

I guarantee you, that if you will take the time to listen - really listen - with a genuine desire to hear, you will find such a rich resource of treasured gems behind the graying hair, well-earned wrinkles, and the dimming eyes.

God has given you an endless, unbelievable resource of knowledge and stories. Stories of adventure, romance, humor, courage. Stories of our history, ancestors, and culture.

Old people have a lot to give, if only you are willing and able to accept the gift.

Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father . . The elder women as mothers;

1 Timothy 5:1, 2

Give Thanks

"When you arise in the morning, give thanks

for the morning light . . . for your life and strength.

Give thanks for your food . . . and the joy of living.

If you see no reason for giving thanks . . .

the fault lies with yourself."

~ Tecumseh, Shawnee Chief ~

Comforting Scriptures

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 has always been a favorite scripture of mine, as you may have guessed by the theme that is set in the title of my blog. These scriptures, set in a seldom read book of the Bible, have provided comfort for me many times throughout the years.

It was especially comforting to me after my father died. Even though I had not been walking with the Lord at that time, I instinctively turned to the scriptures for comfort. To me, these scriptures say that no matter what is happening in your life, it will pass, and change - or transition - will come. Like the rainbow behind the clouds, better times will come.

I was devastated when my father died. His death pretty much brought me to my knees, but it also brought about unexpected changes in my life. I hadn't been living the life of a Christian for many years, but at the ripe old age of forty-two, I started thinking about my own mortality. I often pondered the fact that if I was to die in my present state of living, I would die without hope. Sometimes it really scared me to think about it, and I would actually tell God to leave me alone. Because of His love for me, He just couldn't do that. For eight years, the Holy Spirit "nagged" at me, until I finally gave up and decided to give God a chance!

What wondrous surprises He had in store for me! What awesome changes He made in my life! This "strong" person who had lived behind walls of protection for many, many years, cried like a baby for the first time since childhood, when God tore those walls down. He showed me that it was okay to trust Him and give all my pain and sorrow to Him. He would never abuse me, or abandon me. He really was different. I really could depend on Him. He would be there for me at all hours of the day and night, every day of the year! Wow! I had never known that kind of dependability from anyone in my whole life!

I had spent my whole life having to work for everything I got. In my world, if love was available, it was conditional. God showed me that His love is not only everlasting, but unconditional. Now how much better can it get than that?!

Life has become so much easier and simpler for me with God at my helm. If I am hurting or sick, and need to be comforted, He is always there. If I'm having happy times, He's there to share those too! No more stressing about decisions, because He makes all my decisions now, and He's never wrong! If I need words of cheer or comfort, He leads me to the portion of His Word that I need.

The life of a Christian is not carefree, but it is certainly a simpler life, with twenty-four hour support, and the Lord has all the answers for all my questions. He has all the love and comfort and strength that I could ever need!

He's my Best Friend!

Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

To every thing there is a season, and a time for

every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to

plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down,

and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and

a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones

together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from

embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time

to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and

a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time

of peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (KJV)

Let Go Already!!

Have you ever had a boss who gave you an assignment and then proceeded to stand over you with advice or criticism every step of the way? You knew, and so did he, that you were quite capable of doing the job and doing it well, but he's a micromanager who just can't let go. A simpler, less polite term would be "control freak!"

Have you ever given your children chores to do, then stood over them telling them how to do it every step of the way because you just knew that they couldn't do it as well as you? That's a perfectionist!

Have you ever prayed and asked God for His help and guidance, then told Him how you wanted it done and when? That's called an inability to LET GO, and too many of us seem to have that affliction!

You know, God is the worker who is quite capable of doing the assignment without supervision. He is the child who can do those chores better than you think! And we are the boss who stands over Him and tells Him how to do it; the mother who wants nothing less than perfection.

Well who could be more capable and more perfect than God Himself?! When you ask God for help, are you willing to accept the help, or are you just wanting to "put in an order" for what you want Him to do and how He should do it?!

Do you think God feels any less respected and honored than we do, when the boss stands over us and tells us step-by-step how to do the job? I imagine it must be even harder for God to deal with us at times, than it is for us to deal with the boss. After all, the boss is only human and he's no better than you really - aside from his title and position.

On the other hand, God is NOT our equal by any means, and we are certainly NOT capable of doing the job that He can do! Yet, because He has given us the power of choice, God can do nothing to help us until we are ready to step aside, and let Him do what He does best - guide our lives!

Since turning my life over to God, I've found that life has become so much simpler! I no longer have to go through the awful experience of learning things the hard way, because if I let Him, God will do it right the FIRST time! Now isn't that an awesome thought?! Imagine having the power and knowledge to be able to do it right the first time and every time! The point is, we humans DON'T have that power or knowledge, but the good news is that we have that power and knowledge available to us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year! Why in the world would we battle against help like that?! Because we're control freaks!! We seem to have the idea that no one can run our lives better than we can.

Friend, I'm here to tell you that we just don't have what it takes to run our lives well. If we did, we wouldn't be asking God for help in the first place, would we?

Happy Fall to You!!

A woman was asked by a coworker, "What is it like to be a Christian?"

The coworker replied, "It is like being a pumpkin. God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. Then He cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff.

He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, and greed. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine, for all the world to see.

Nature's Transitions

The beauty and transitions of Fall make it my favorite time of the year. The cooler temperatures, the kaleidoscope of nature's colors and the falling leaves all bring on a sense of nostalgia for me. Not necessarily a sad nostalgia, but a very thoughtful time indeed.

As I look back over the years and think about all the transitions in my own life, I see that most of them fit the old cliche that there's always a silver lining behind the cloud. While many of life's transitions deal with loss in the same way that the trees lose their leaves, think of these transitions as a preparation for something better. The leaves fall from the trees, leaving the branches looking sad and barren, but come Spring, there will be a rebirth of new growth everywhere.

If we can look beyond the moment, we will be able to recognize the fact that each change and each transition in our life has a reason, and sometimes a very pleasant consequence if we can just hang in there and ride it through. The pleasant consequences may be nothing more than a valuable lesson learned, but it's a consequence that can positively affect the rest of our life.

I sometimes have to remind myself that like the song says, "the God of the mountain is still God in the valley!" Whether I recognized it at the time or not, God has been with me through each transition of my life - both difficult and good - just like He oversees the transitions in nature. The difference though, is that God considers us to be much more important than the things in nature. What a wonderful blessing is God's love and care for us through all the transitions of our lives!

Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Matthew 6:26

Life Is Meant to Be Lived

Life Is Meant to Be Lived

Life is to be lived. No excuses. No reservations. No holding back.

An enchangint story about violinist Fritz Kreisler tells how he once

came acrss a beautiful instrument he wanted to acquire. When he

finally raised the money for the violin, he returned to buy it and

learned that it had already been sold to a collector.

He went to the new owner's home in order to try to persuade him to

sell the violin. But the collector said it was one of his prized

possessions and he could not let it go. The disappointed Kreisler

turned to leave, but then asked a favor. "May I play the instrument

once more before it is consigned to silence?"

Permission was granted and the great musician began to play. The

violin sang out a quality of music so beautiful that the collector

himself could only listen in wonderment. "I have no right to keep that

to myself," he said after the musician finished. "The violin is yours,

Mr. Kreisler. Take it into the world and let people hear it."

William Arthur Ward said, "If you believe in prayer, pray; if you

believe in serving, serve; if you believe in giving, give. For you

and I are exquisite violins - our music is meant to be heard."

I want to live my life that way - to take it into the world and live

it fully. I'd rather burn out than rust out. I'd rather be used up

than die not having done whatever I could . . . wherever I would.

I'm not talking about wearing ourselves out on over-activity.

Happiness is never found in excessive busyness. But it is found in

investing our lives in others. Saying YES when asked for a hand.

Volunteering some time for a worthwhile organization. Spending an

hour with a lonely relative.

In the end, I know that my happiness will not have been

about my ability or my inability. It will have been about my

availability. My life is meant to be lived.

~ Steve Goodier ~

Something Special

Although the way be lonely,

And dark the shadows fall;

Wherever it may lead,

My Father planned it all.

The sun may shine tomorrow,

The shadows break and flee;

It will be the way He chooses,

The Father's plan for me.

He guides my halting footsteps

Along the weary way;

For well He knows the pathway

Will lead to endless day.

A day of light and gladness,

On which no shade will fall,

All this at last awaits me,

My Father planned it all.

I sing through shade and sunshine,

No matter what befalls

His way is best, it leads to rest;

My Father planned it all.

~ author unknown ~

The Changing of the Seasons

I don't know why, but for some reason, when Fall comes, it always make me feel nostalgic. Don't misunderstand, Fall is my favorite season of the year, with it's earthy tones and colors, but somehow it leads me to wander back through the years and look at the seasons of my life.

I remember quite well being adopted as a toddler. It was like the second Spring of my life - figuratively speaking. It was a rebirth for me, like the rebirth you see in an earthly Spring, when all the annual plants once again make their way up through the soil made hard by winter snows and freezes. In some ways, I too, had already been through the hard times of winter, and now I was able to look at the world through new eyes. It was definitely a season of rebirth for me as I took in all the joy and happiness of a new home.

It seems like it wasn't long before I passed into the summer of my years with all the "busyness" and eagerness of youth, followed by the teen years with their whirlwhind of activities and changes. Those years were followed by the transition into adulthood and all the responsibilities that come with it. We graduate from high school and maybe college, and eventually move into the adjustments of careers and marriage and parenthood.

It seems like all too quickly we find ourselves settled into the Fall of our lives. Our children have reached adulthood and are settling into lives of their own - graduation, career, marriage, children . . . Oh wait - children?! That translates into a new and wonderful transition for us! Oh, the joys of being a grandparent! One of life's best and most enjoyable seasons! We have reached a maturity that allows us to be a softer and gentler, yet wiser, role model. Our experiences through the seasons of our life have created in us an ability to handle life with more patience and understanding, and with a softer touch. These are also the years when we look toward retirement and a very real "slowing down" in life. Life is more relaxed in the Fall of our lives, and I think once again, like children, we learn to appreciate the little things in life more.

Ah, but next comes the winter of our lives - the later years when we start to realize more fully our own mortality. It's a time when we look back over our lives and often wonder about what we did and how we did it. Did I do it right? Would I do it differently now? Well, unfortunately, life is not a dress rehearsal. Each season is a one-time transition. If we had it to do over again, would we do it differently? I don't think so. I believe that most of us give it our best the first time around. We may have been good at everything we did, or maybe we weren't so good at anything; but we gave it our best, with whatever tools we had been given through life.

Whatever season of life you are passing through, enjoy it to the fullest, because each transition only comes once!

When I Travel With Jesus

"Twill be easy to pack when I travel with Jesus,

Leave this old earth and take to the air,

Leaving the trials and doubts all behind me,

For nothing of these ever entereth there.

"Twill be easy to pack when I travel with Jesus,

Leaving behind all the worries and fuss,

No need to think as I wing my way upward,

"I wonder what others are thinking of us?"

"Twill be easy to pack when I travel with Jesus,

Easy to leave all the old life behind -

Easy to loose all the old ties that bind me,

For naught of the past shall be brought into mind.

"Twill be easy to pack when I travel with Jesus,

Be ready, O heart, as you press on the road -

Ready if Jesus should come now and call you -

Ready for Jesus to lighten your load.

~ John Ashford Hyde ~