Art...

Planet Earth is a beautiful place.  There are shapes and colors everywhere, and our eyes are made to appreciate them in their full richness of variety.  The blue sky, the green grass, the brilliant sunshine, even the cloudy greyness - all form the magnificent array that is our world.

Those gifted people who can take the range of colors and shapes and arrange them on a canvas or a sculpture or a photograph have a rare and special talent.  They allow us to experience places and emotions we otherwise would not have access to.  We can see the world through someone else's eyes, and it is always revealing and interesting.

The world would be a lesser place without those creative geniuses who have brought us the beautiful artwork which adorns the walls of homes and offices and especially museums.  Their rare talent enriches our lives and our senses.  While it is not, in the utilitarian sense, strictly necessary to have artwork in the world, it makes for a higher quality of life than we would have without it.

As I sit in my living room this morning, I am grateful for the artwork which adorns my walls.  It enhances my life experience, raises the quality of my morning, and provides me with food for the eyes and soul.

Daughters...

When you find out a baby is on the way, you dream about the moment you will first see that little face, count the fingers and toes, enjoy the pleasure of holding your child for the first time.  Although there will be vague worries and concerns, for most women, pregnancy is relatively uneventful, a happy time of waiting and watching and wondering and eventually, a joyful day of birth.

Sometimes, life doesn't go as planned.

My daughter, due in April, was born too soon.  On this day 24 years ago, she rushed herself into the world, ready to start life, but unfortunately, not to start living.  She was fragile, not breathing, unable to sustain herself.  Her life started not with a celebration but with panic and an NICU.  It is not the ideal beginning.

But from those first fearful moments, she asserted her will.  She survived and thrived, growing into the smart, witty, interesting, beautiful woman she is today.  When I see her face, I see the grace of God, who allowed me to be blessed with her for my very own child.

She is a gift, a complicated, outgoing, energized human being, who has challenged me in every possible way over the years.  Her personality, so different from my own, has stretched me in unexpected directions.  She pulled me to Africa and Disney World and to the mountains in Colorado.  She pushed me into activities and events I would never have attended if not for her.  She frustrated and challenged me in ways I would never have imaged the first time I held her.  But words are inadequate to explain the blessings she has showered upon me in far greater measure.

She has been my team mate through some of the hardest moments of my life.  She has given me a reason to get up in the morning, and a reason to go on living.  She has seen me at my worst and seen my at my most vulnerable, and loved me unceasingly.  Through it all, she has inspired me to be the best version of me possible, because I am her role model, and she deserves me at my best.  She has given me grace over and over again.

I always say I never knew how much I needed my daughter until she arrived.  Now, I cannot imagine my life without her.  She is one of my greatest blessings, a priceless treasure sent straight from heaven, without whom I would be a lesser person.

Today, I am grateful for my daughter.  I am filled with thankfulness for every moment of the journey we have had.  She is a very special Child of God, and I have been deeply blessed.

Happy birthday, Sweet Thing.  I love you to the moon and back.

All creatures great and small....

Over the course of my life, I have had many pets.  Dogs, cats, rabbits, mice, birds, gerbils, hamsters, fish - I have run the gamut of creatures that inhabit most homes and share our lives.

Each pet has been different.  They all have their own quirks and characteristics, they all bring something different to the life they lead in our presence.  But they have all shared one thing in full measure - they make my life better for being in it.

These days, I have two dogs and an aquarium full of fish.  The dogs bring joy and laughter into my life, their personalities distinct and separate, and both enjoyed and cherished.  Even the fish are fun to watch as they dart around and race to the top for their morning and evening meals.

One of my dogs, a 10" tall Papillion, thinks he is king of the household.  He is ever vigilant, always alert to the possibility of intruders disrupting our peaceful lives.  He sits with his back to us wherever we are, constantly looking outward to give us warning if there is something to worry about.  He patrols the perimeter of the family group, moving from side to side, constantly on the lookout for trouble.  He sees himself as a watchdog, an important cog in the family wheel.  He knows he isn't up to the job of defending us, so he plays his role as an early warning system, firing off the alarm whenever something is out of order.  In his mind, at least, he is providing necessary service, and he is valuable.

The other dog is more relaxed.  He lays in front of the fire or on the sofa, waiting to spring into action.  But when the alarm goes up, he is on the job, ready to defend his pack from any and everything that threatens us.  He is fearless when it comes to us.  I have no doubt he would take on whatever he thought put us at risk, because he knows that is his job.  In his mind, he is also providing a necessary service, and he is valuable.

From their point of view, they are an integral part of the family, necessary and important, and we need them as much as they need us.  I think God created pets so we could experience pure, unconditional, unqualified love on earth.  They don't worry about their appearance, or whether they are smart enough or pretty enough or successful enough to be worthy, and they don't care about those things in us, either.  They know they are loved and accept it as it comes, and they love us back without reservation.

Today I am grateful for all the pets I have had in my life.  Each one has brought something irreplaceable to my life, and together they have taught me about unconditional love in a way nothing else ever could have.

Small town living...

The world is filled with people of all shapes and sizes and persuasions and colors and attitudes and strengths and weaknesses.  We are all different, unique, formed by our life experiences.  We have a range of expectations and hopes and dreams, but when you are born in the USA, you have the opportunity to achieve anything you go after, no matter where you are from.

Some people have advantages, of course.  If you live in the city, bigger schools mean more educational opportunities and extra curricular activities that smaller town people don't experience.  There are more jobs, which are higher paying, and a wider variety of leisure activities are available more easily.  When you live there, it is easy to imagine that city life is all there is, and people who live in the more rural parts of the country lack initiative.

Nothing could be further from the truth.  There is a lot of education, intelligence, and thoughtfulness out here in the hinterland.  In addition, while we have given up some of those opportunities, we have gained other advantages that are less obvious, but for those of us who live here, more important.

I grew up in the small town where I now live.  My mother has lived here her entire life, and my grandparents and great-grandparents as well.  I am a part of this town, and its history.  We support each other, uplift those in need, and celebrate each other's victories.

I was reminded of this over the last few days when our small town wrestling team went to, and ultimately won, the state championship.  My facebook feed is blowing up with congratulations to the boys and their families who have worked so hard and succeeded on this larger stage.  Being small is not the same thing as thinking small, as we saw last night.  We can be small, and yet mighty.

No matter where we are from, opportunity is there for us, if we work for our dreams.  We are small, but God is all powerful.  He has a plan for us, and whatever our life experience, it can happen if we trust him and follow the path he has set out for us.

Today I am grateful to be from a small town.  I am small, but God is great, and this life is good.  It is all I need.

Mirror images....

When a baby spies themselves in the mirror, they automatically smile.  It is a rewarding action, because the baby they are seeing smiles back.  The bigger they smile, the bigger the return.  It is a happy moment, as they are sharing the joy.

They do not immediately recognize that the baby in the mirror is them.  It takes time and a certain amount of logical reasoning before they will know they are smiling at themselves.  They are not self-conscious - they aren't worrying about how they look, or whether their hair is perfect, or if their smile is crooked, or their skin is fresh.  They are looking at the attitude, and reflecting what they see - joy.

As we mature, we become critical, evaluating every flaw and blemish, focusing not on the beauty, but the imperfections.  Even the most beautiful among us, perhaps even more so, find the fault instead of the virtue when they are engaged in the harsh self-examination that occurs when we spot our own reflection.  When we look in the mirror, we are self-conscious, seeing not the image of God, but human imperfection.  It is not what God wants for us when we see ourselves.

We are told in the Bible that we are made in God's image.  Every person is talented and amazing and beautiful in their own personal way, no matter what they think the mirror is telling them. God doesn't make mistakes, and his creation is perfect.  We aren't boastful or prideful to see the beauty in God's handiwork, even if it is our own face or body, if we are humbly acknowledging his glorious power in our human form.

Today I am grateful for mirrors, which remind me, each time I gaze upon my own countenance, that I am God's chosen child, special, unique, and wonderful in my own way.  Like the baby who encounters joy by seeing her own reflection, I will see the joy in my soul when I see the reflection of God in the mirror.

Sleep...

Women my age spend a lot of time thinking about sleeping, mostly because we spend so little time actually doing it.  It is not for lack of effort or opportunity.  The kids are grown, our jobs are usually stable, and life is fairly settled.  But sleep?  That is elusive.

A good night's sleep, for me, is five hours of uninterrupted slumber.  If I achieve that, I high five the dog and celebrate.  Most nights are spent in a semi-slumber, not really sound asleep, but not really awake either.

Sleep is refreshing and renewing.  It gives respite from the cares of the day, and allows the body some time to relax and rest.

God created the morning and the evening, day and night.  Because he values us in all our vulnerability, he provided the opportunity to start again each morning, a new day, a new chance, a new beginning.

Today, I am grateful for sleep, whether I got any or not.  Each day is a gift from God, an opportunity to share his message of love and faithfulness.  In the words of King David in Psalm 30:5, "Joy comes in the morning."  Have a joyful day in The Word.

Coffee...

For me, life is a series of small moments, lived in sequence.  Like most people, very few grand events have marked my life journey.  Instead, my satisfaction and comfort with my place in the world usually revolve around the small things in life that make a difference to no one but me.  Chief among those pleasures is my morning cup of coffee.

It may seem insignificant to most, but kicking my day off with a cup of coffee is important to my well being.  It is not just a caffeine jolt to get me moving.  It is a moment of pleasure when I smell the brew and taste the first sip.  It gets my morning off to the right start, setting the tone for the many hours to come.

It is easy to think that God does not care about the small things, because he is tied up with worrying about the big stuff going on in the world.  But I don't think that's true.  I think we are limiting God when we assume that he is not able to do it all.  He is God.  He can do anything.

I think God cares about the small stuff, because we care about the small stuff, and he cares about us.  If he knows the number of hairs on our heads, he also knows that something as insignificant as a morning cup of coffee is important to us.  Refreshing the body also refreshes the mind and heart and soul.

This morning, I am grateful for coffee.  It is a reminder that even the small stuff counts.

Seasons...

It is cold outside.  There is snow on the ground.  It is cloudy and overcast, and it looks like more snow may be on the way to replace the snow which has melted over these last couple of very warm days.  I am not a fan of winter.  I could easily live without ever seeing another snow flake again, and yet, I am grateful for the four seasons.

I am really a three season person by nature.  I love spring, summer and fall, all for different reasons, because each one comes with it's special characteristics and qualities.  Spring brings refreshment, warmth and spring rains and the promise of things to come.  Summer is flowers and green grass and leafy trees, outside BBQ's and parades and lazy days in the sunshine.  Fall is a time for crisp air, and new beginnings, and fresh outlooks.  Each season has its own promise of something special.

Winter is harsh and cold and dreary, a time of chapped hands and wind swept landscape and drifting and bitter wind cutting through your coat to chill you to the bone.  It is something to be endured, not enjoyed, at least in my mind.  I look with wonder at those who love it, because I can't understand the thrill of being out in a fresh snowfall.  Winter seems endless to me, and I long for spring from November until April.

But spring always comes, and with it comes the satisfaction of having survived another season harshness.  And I am left feeling grateful for the reminder each year that winter is followed by spring, and all the promise that comes with it.

As we come to the end of the hard season of winter, I am grateful for the four seasons.  I need that reminder that there is bitterness in life, but it is followed by renewal and hope and joy.

Angels....

In Psalm 91, one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, God tells us he will command his angels to watch over us.  Those are not just words.  That wasn't just an Old Testament phenomenon.  I have met his angels, and my life was changed because of my experiences.

We see angels often, although we may not recognize them as angels at the time.  I have had help from angels twice in my life, both occasions where I was in trouble and didn't know where the help would come from, and in both situations, I didn't know they were angels until later.  But angels they certainly were, and I feel blessed to have had the experience and know they were real, even if I didn't realize it at the time.

They looked like ordinary people.  They acted like human beings.  But they intervened at just the right moment with such precision I was left in no doubt of who, and what, they were.  In retrospect, the realization gave me a deeper understanding of God's ever present help in our times of need.  It is real.  It is functional.  It is now.

It is troubling to realize that sometimes angels come to help, and at other times they don't.  I don't have the answer as to why angels appear for some people, and in other desperate situations they are absent.  Do they misbehave?  Satan is a fallen angel.  Perhaps there are more who land short of the goal.  I don't have the viewpoint of eternity, and I don't think we are meant to understand everything that happens here in the temporal world, so I don't have the answer for that deeply disconcerting reality.

But I do know that without the intervention of angels, my life would be different today, because their presence in my time of need changed my entire interpretation of God.

When I was young, God was distant and removed.  I thought God's oversight was a general caring, like a teacher over a class.  The idea that he was watching over me, individually, was too mind boggling to comprehend.  How could he watch everyone, all the time, and not miss anything?  I am an unimportant cog in the world's wheel.  Why would I matter so much to him?

Then I met his angels, and realized he isn't distant at all.  He is here, watching everything, all the time.  He knows what we need before we even need it, and God's army of angels are serving him by doing as he directs, including helping me when I needed it the most.

God is personal.  He is loving and caring.  He watches us in our struggles, and sends help in our time of need.  Sometimes the help comes through a family member, often its a friend.  But sometimes, when you need it most, God will send an angel your way.

Meeting God's angels showed me his ever present compassion, and changed the relationship I have with him to a dynamic, interactive conversation.  I am grateful today for angels.

Modern medicine....

August 8, 1985 could have been my last day on earth. Complicated childbirth was a death sentence 100 years ago, and both my beautiful baby (now 30 years old) and I would likely not have survived the experience were it not for modern medicine.

The next round did not go better, and the prenatal interventions, along with the emergency Cesarean which brought my beautiful daughter into the world, certainly saved her, and likely me, once again, from certain doom.

I have been fortunate to have successfully survived close shaves with melanoma and squamous cell sarcoma, as well as life threatening bowel perforation and peritonitis, all of which were treated with skilled medical care which allow me to be here today.

Finally, I have always been forthright about my battle with severe chronic depression, which is, in every way, as life threatening as the other conditions I have survived, but more insidious, because it is hidden.  Without a skilled therapist and life saving medication, I could easily have slipped away in the fog of despair which takes so many from us too soon.

I am not the fittest - it seems I have been living on borrowed time for most of my life.  And yet, here I am through the miracles of modern medicine.  I was able to raise my children and have the joy of seeing them mature into adulthood.  I am a grandmother, excited to see the impact of the next generation on the world.  I was fortunate to find love in the middle years of my life, and experience the unexpected grace that comes from marriage to the right person at the right time.  I am wife, mother, daughter, employee, and friend, and hopefully my presence in this world makes it better for those I care about and who care about me. 

In the world of Charles Darwin, I am not supposed to be here.  But here I am, anyway, because I was lucky enough to have been born in a time when medicine could cure the ills that have befallen me.  God has given us intellect to develop our skills, and I am grateful for all the scientists and doctors and technicians who have used their knowledge to develop the surgeries and technology and medicines that allow me to continue my existence on this whirling planet.

Today, I am grateful that modern medicine has preserved my life so I could be here with the people I love a little longer than nature intended.  I will enjoy this sunny Saturday, deeply appreciative of the blessing of a life undeserved, but happily lived.

Renewal...

This morning, I awoke to a warm, almost spring like day.  The air is moist, and despite the snow covering the ground, you can tell winter is waning and won't be here forever.  The arctic temperatures of a few days ago have receded, and the wind is no longer biting through my heavy coat when I am outside.

Spring offers hope, a new beginning, a fresh start.  The dirty snow melts, the puddles soak the ground, and soon grass will appear.  It is the promise of renewal I am feeling today, and I am grateful to experience it again.

Life is filled with moments of renewal.  Every day is a new opportunity to get things right, no matter what happened yesterday or in the past.  People are constantly making changes and forging new paths with hope and excitement and the promise of something better or different on the horizon.  Whether relationships, work or leisure, there are a multitude of ways that we experience renewal on a daily basis.

We are not stuck in the past.  We are not rooted to what has always been.  Overhauling ourselves, although sometimes difficult, is also an opportunity to right wrongs, do things differently, experience something new, learn, change, grow.  Renewal is not necessarily painless, like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly, it can turn you inside out, but the freedom you find at the end is energizing.

Today I am grateful for the renewal in faith that Jesus gave me when he took my place and paid the price for my wrongs.  Living my life as best I can is the reflection of his grace, freely given, and the offer of new life in him he has gifted me.

Technology...

This morning, I have spoken to a family member who was 1000 miles away, and I have spoken to a family member who is four miles away.  I received pictures from another family member, and I read social media posts about more people I care about.  I did all this from the comfort of my sofa in the few minutes before I have to get in my car and drive to my job, where I will spend the day using the computer to do everything from accounting to showing customers the products we have available at the click of a mouse.

When my great-grandparents came to the United States, they left family behind, in most cases forever, never to be seen again, with only the very rare letter to keep in touch with their loved ones whom they missed.  When my grandparents were born, telephones were not yet in existence, letters could take weeks, and travel was by horse and carriage or sleigh.  My mother's generation improved on that situation with cars and telegraph and finally the telephone, but it was expensive and inefficient.

When I was young, we still had a telephone party line, and you answered when it was your ring.  Flying was considered An Event, for which you dressed up in your best clothing and paid a fortune to go somewhere exotic and exciting, and you recorded the event on a camera with film which took a week or more to process and get returned.

Today, we have an overload of information available 24/7.  We can find out anything in minutes, we have constant contact if we want it, and the discussion is about turning off the world, instead of tuning in.  We take selfies on our phones to share on our social media, we can video our antics and blast them to the world on YouTube, we can find out anything almost the moment it happens because the internet is everywhere.  It can all be too much, if we allow it to take over our lives.

But the ability to participate meaningfully in the lives of our family and friends when they are on the other side of the country, or the world, far outweighs, in my mind, the downside of social media and cascade of junk disinformation spewing from cyberspace.

I can see my grandson, who lives 500 miles away, in real time, whenever we choose to Facetime.  I can text my husband and expect a response almost instantly, no matter where he might be on the continent.  I can reach out to my mother, my kids, my brother, all my relatives and friends, who are scattered all over the country, and receive a response no matter where they are or what they are doing.  What a gift to be so in touch.

The world is still a big place, and the people I love are scattered all over.  But because of technology, I can keep them close and know about their lives as if they were next door.  I am grateful for the opportunity to be an active part of the lives of so many people, no matter how near or far they may be from me.

Today I am grateful for technology, which allows me to put my thoughts on a blog page and share them with whoever cares to read them.  Life is a journey, and I am glad for the company along the way.

Words....

Millions of words are spoken each day, and even more are tweeted, blogged, posted or written.  We email, we call, we text, we snapchat; we are more connected than any people have ever been in the history of the world.  And yet...

Sometimes it seems as if we are more disconnected, less in touch with those who really matter to us than ever.  We talk a lot, but say little.  We overshare, but rarely listen.  We tell everyone everything, but rarely look inside our own heads.

In this online environment, it is all too easy to hurt feelings, to miscommunicate, to say the wrong thing, to take something the wrong way.  Words can hurt.  Words can heal.  It all depends on how they are used.

When my children were young, I always told them it didn't really matter what you intend if the person receiving it misunderstands.  Perception is everything in relationships, and intentions mean very little when perceptions are incorrect.  That is especially true where words are concerned.  If you have failed to communicate what you really mean, then wounds can be inflicted, and division can occur.

But words can be powerful in healing and comforting, as well.  From the time we are young, when we are hurt or confused, our mother can make everything better just with her words.  As we grow up, we expand to others we love, friends and eventually spouse and children.  When we talk to loved ones about a bad day or a hard experience, their words provide relief and respite from the tribulation we have gone through.

As a wordsmith, I take words very seriously.  I understand the power they contain, and I try to use them wisely.  I endeavor to listen more and talk less, I try to think before I speak, and I work hard to ensure that my words say what I really mean so they are uplifting and positive, and not destructive or divisive.

God gave us the plan for our life journey in his Word, the Bible.  It is full of wisdom and guidance, and speaks to us even today with power and strength and direction.  When we follow his direction, we find eternal life.  There is nothing more powerful or long lasting than that.

God gave me a gift for words, and I am grateful that I can use that gift to share my faith with others.  I can't think of any better use for the powerful thing that is a word.

Hard times....

Many years ago, I was a part of a very special group of women.  We shared our lives in very personal ways, and we learned about each other's hearts in a deeply caring setting.  We were mostly unguarded and open with each other, trusting that our innermost selves were held in tender hands.  Most of the women in the group faced difficult times in one way or another, and over time, the stories came out and you realized that appearances often covered deep wounds.

One of the women in the group was the exception; that rare individual who held all the cards in life.  Although she no doubt experienced the everyday set backs everyone faces now and again, car troubles or the occasional minor illness or the like, her life had been an unusually smooth path.  Her marriage was happy and long lasting, her kids were successful and enjoying their lives, her home was perfectly appointed and exactly what she and her husband wanted.  Now, in retirement, they were both relatively young and in great health and enjoyed traveling, their children, and their life together in every way.  Her entire life had gone exactly according to plan.

I was envious, of course, in the nicest possible way.  I would wish that for everyone, the smooth path, although there are only a rare few who are so privileged.

On one particular day, as we discussed the role luck plays in our lives, this woman stated boldly that there is no such thing as luck.  She went on to opine that good luck is the result of good decisions, and if we have "bad luck" in life it is our own fault for not making better choices.  I don't recall her exact words, but the meaning was crystal clear - the unfortunate have earned their misfortune, and have no one to blame but themselves.

The arrogance of her statement took my breath away.  When I glanced at the other women quietly sitting there, I knew I wasn't the only one who was hurt by her careless judgement.  When I looked around the table, I saw representatives of people everywhere.  The childless couple who had battled infertility.  The woman who had a one in a billion form of cancer that eventually took her life.  The parents whose child was on track until suddenly they were lost to drugs or alcohol addiction or mental illness, despite having been present and involved and getting most things right.  The woman who fled domestic abuse with the clothes on her back and her children in tow, fearing for her life with no where to turn.  I saw heartbreak and empty dreams and unexpected disaster - people whose plans had come unexpectedly unglued.

What I didn't see was people who had brought their life changing problems upon themselves because they somehow missed getting it all "just right." I could not imagine having so little understanding of, or appreciation for, one's own good fortune, or, more importantly, how quickly it could all be taken away.

But then, as I struggled to find the right words to respond, selfishly wanting to put her in her place, she said the line which changed the moment for me, and made it unforgettable.  After a long and uncomfortable pause, she said very quietly,

"Sometimes I worry that I have had things too easy.  I am afraid that when I have to face a hard time, I will not have the faith to handle it."

Suddenly, I realized that it was not arrogance but fear that came from her heart, no matter the words that were spoken.  As she looked at each of the strong women in that group, she was afraid that she was the one who didn't measure up.  In that brief statement, I found gratitude for the tribulations in my life.  And in my gratitude, I found grace for her, as well.

In powering through those difficult moments, in surviving when you feel like you cannot go on, in overcoming obstacles that make life so difficult, we find God.  When I am at the end of my rope, God lifts me up and sets me free.  It is in hard times that I find my strongest faith.

No matter what happens from now until I leave this life, I have the assurance that God is present.  I can overcome whatever Satan has in store for me, because my faith has already been forged from the difficult moments I have endured.  I have already learned from my journey that God is with me, ever present in the time of need, standing ready to help me through whatever life throws my way.

I am grateful for the hard times that God has allowed me to endure.  They have given me the certain knowledge that God will always be there, no matter where my life journey takes me.

Shelter....

I heard the snow plow come through around 5 this morning, and as I curled up a little deeper under the covers, I was once again reminded of my good fortune to have a warm home and shelter from the storms of both weather and life.  I know many people are not so lucky. As we have endured the coldness of the last few weeks, with the wind biting through my heavy coat and hurrying in from the cold each time I am out, I am reminded that many are without the basic shelter that I often take for granted.

I am lucky to have a fire to sit in front of whenever I want.  I have a warm home, with heat available at the touch of a switch.  I can curl up under an electric blanket if I am still cold, and I have warm beverages to heat my insides when I need a boost.

It is not an entitlement to have these good things.  I take them for granted, but they could easily be taken from me, as they have from so many others.

In this cold season of winter, I am grateful for the shelter of my cozy abode.  It reminds me that God is my shelter in all the storms of life, and he is where I will find eternal shelter for all time.

Love...

I am a fan of love.  Not the Hallmark version of perfect love, where in 45 minutes, love solves every problem and provides the perfect ending, but the real deal, nitty gritty, in it for the long haul love that we all need in this journey we call life.  Love like this:

A family that takes a child who needs one and embraces her with all their hearts, ultimately forgetting she started out as someone else's because now she is theirs.

Children who watch their mother make mistake after mistake and keep coming back with deeper love each day.

A spouse who is willing to upend his peaceful existence and embrace everything about you in middle age, because he wants you to be happy, no matter what it takes.

Friends who love you enough, not only to let you leave them, but to help you pack and load the moving van, because it is right for you.

Pets that put their entire trust in you, confident that you will do whatever is best for them at all times, and who reward you with doggy kisses and kitty rubs and moments of unguarded happiness that only a pet can bring.

Love, real love, is joyful and messy and uplifting and honest and sometimes painful.  It has a way of making happy moments happier, and sad moments a little less so.  True love is always hopeful, never false, and comes in many forms.

This is the answer to why God allows things to happen in our lives that we wish wouldn't.  We are discovering the greatest commandment, to love one another, so we will understand the depth and breadth of his love for us.

I am indeed a fortunate person today, this day we celebrate love.  I have everything I need and more, because I am loved, completely, entirely, and for myself as I am.  I am grateful for the love which has been showered on me, and for the Creator who first loved us.

Slippers...

I am at my most comfortable when I am wearing my old slippers.  I am often in casual clothing, sweatpants and sweatshirt being the norm, and when I slip on each cozy piece of footwear, my body relaxes and knows it is unwind time.  Slippers are a signal, in a sense, that the turmoil of life is being pushed away for awhile, and it's time to sink into the luxury of home.

Jesus understood the human need for rest and relaxation.  He escaped from his followers and sought rest at various times with his friends and family, or in solitude.  Slippers are, for me, the ultimate indulgence.  They bring comfort and warmth as I bring my day to a close.

Slippers may not seem important, and to be sure, we can live life without them.  But the world is often a hard, cold place.  The soft comfort of my slippers is a welcome respite from the cares of each day.  Small things matter, and slippers, although small, make my life better.

So today, I am grateful for slippers.

Morning....

I am up early this morning.  My dogs decided that the day had dawned, and they were ready to get up whether I wanted to or not.  Unwilling though I was to leave my warm and comfortable bed earlier than I needed to, as I sit here watching the first streaks of light opening up the sky, I am reminded that not everyone will see this morning, and I am filled with gratitude for the new opportunity each day presents.

It is easy to take for granted our awakening, as one day flows into the next.  But life is a fragile gift.  There are no guarantees that tomorrow will arrive for any of us.  I am not yet ready to leave this place, and each day is a blessing, no matter what may happen in the coming hours.

In this Lenten season of waiting, as we journey towards the cross, I am grateful that this day has begun for me.  And I am secure in the knowledge that when my earthly mornings have ended, I will be awakening into a new life with the God who has walked with me the entire way.

Music...

From the time I was a small child, I have been drawn to music.  I sang, I plunked on the piano when my feet still dangled from the bench, I tapped on my toys, ran my finger around the edge of glassware, banged on pots and pans, and heard each sound with deep satisfaction.

My mother insisted that I have some training, so I took piano lessons from a very early age.  Funny how someone telling me to play is less inspiring than simply doing it!  Mom and I finally came to an agreement that she would do the dishes if I would practice during that time.  I hated dishes even more than practicing, so I played the piano while she did the dishes.  (Very, very slowly, now that I think about it!)

I am lucky she did, because in those practice sessions, music became my lifelong passion.  I cannot imagine my life without music.  Today, I play for fun, I play for comfort, I play for satisfaction.  When I am happy, and when I am sad, music provides an outlet for the emotions that overwhelm me.

Most importantly, music is an opportunity to share my faith.  By playing in church, by singing for people at weddings and funerals, by being part of a Christian band and performing, I am able to present my faith to people who otherwise may not be open and receptive to The Word.

I was created by a God who makes no mistakes, and when he gave me the gift of music, it was not just for me.  God knew that I could use that gift to share my faith and bring others his message of hope and mercy and, above all, grace.

Today I am grateful for music.

Warmth

On this cold Ash Wednesday, I am grateful for warmth.  Warmth of body, warmth of spirit, warmth of love.  I am grateful for the warm home where I rest my body morning and night.  I am grateful for the warm friendships I have made throughout my life.  I am grateful for the warm church family that shares my faith.  I am grateful for the warm love and support I get from my husband, children, mother and the rest of my family.  I am grateful for the warm dog curled up next to me.  I am grateful for the warmth the sun provides to make the snow melt and the plants grow.

There are too many people who do not have warmth in their lives.  The reasons are complicated and individual, and I don't have the answers for the big questions that plague us.  But no matter what cold areas I find in my life path, God's warmth shines on my inner soul.  It is a glimpse of God's grace.