Life is a divine journey that we fill in the colors along the way. I'm recovering from surgery I had last week, so I've had lots of time to sit and relax (well, as much as possible). I keep asking myself what colors am I using in my crayon repertoire today? Some days I use a lot of red when I am full of energy, laughter and witty comments. Other times, I overuse brown when I'm feeling lonely, tired or just at odds with the world around me.
I use reds, orange and yellow in many areas of my life. The bright colors are the words the world uses to describe me on most days. It is through my exhuberance that I help encourage others to live a life of joy. But there are other impossible times where dark shades of gray try to overtake my otherwise happy thoughts. It's easy to push those gray days away when I am busy with life jumping from one task to another, but what happens when I am forced to be still for long periods of time and I don't have to put on a rainbow show for anyone? What colors do I gravitate toward then? It depends...
What is within my thought life? Well, again, that depends... what am I choosing to watch on television? What am I reading? What am I listening to on the radio? Who am I choosing to spend time with? Each of my focused thoughts also determine what colors are most worn down in my crayon box. Lately, browns encircle my journey as frustrations in not finding a job, the inclement weather, and in the uncertainty of our world events are swirling around me. I am naturally drawn to brown even though others would contridict me. Creating a world of bright colors in my life has been a daily decision for me, literally. When I choose to pick up the reds and yellows, there are times I fight it... I don't want to be cheerful today, I want to wallow in self-pity, I want to make others feel the pain I am feeling, I just don't feel like being nice. But when I decide to fight through the thoughts of living in a colorless world, I realize I am opening myself up to a beautiful decision that leads into amazing results for me and to the lives I touch each day.
I am blessed to have family members who encourage me to color my world with vibrance. There is a saying that "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy", so they, too, have a direct benefit in my color choices! I've learned that everything runs more smoothly when I emphasize the right colors. People around me seem more peaceful and happy. And an amazing thing happens when I make that choice in my own private world...it is filled with more hope and contagious enthusiasm then I can contain! And I impact my world for the better! What colors are worn down in your crayon box?
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Easter and a Reason for Smiles!
This past month has been a time of great reflection about important things in life. More importantly... Life is Important! And life is fleeting...
Yesterday while visiting our son's church, the message was as if pointed directly at my heart. Quite frankly, my attitude needs adjustment. I am simply amazed that no matter how many times I hear the very powerful Easter message, I come away with "aha's" like I am hearing it for the very first time. Maybe that is the joy of the Christian message in a beautifully wrapped package called Easter. He is Risen! The Tomb is Empty! We have a reason to rejoice in living, no matter the difficulty we endure while living it. Simply put....the message of rebirth helped me make a decision to once again not look at my circumstances. To surrender all. To believe that a new beginning is here right now. Not tomorrow, not next week, but NOW! All I have to do is lay down my control and allow God to make the decisions that are right for my life. Ah, but that is the hard part, isn't it?
Every day is a day of surrendering. Then and only then can real change occur and just like the perfect Easter message, it is in the exact measure in which it is to occur for my life. "If it is to be, then it is up to God to make it be..." I like that. How about you?
Yesterday while visiting our son's church, the message was as if pointed directly at my heart. Quite frankly, my attitude needs adjustment. I am simply amazed that no matter how many times I hear the very powerful Easter message, I come away with "aha's" like I am hearing it for the very first time. Maybe that is the joy of the Christian message in a beautifully wrapped package called Easter. He is Risen! The Tomb is Empty! We have a reason to rejoice in living, no matter the difficulty we endure while living it. Simply put....the message of rebirth helped me make a decision to once again not look at my circumstances. To surrender all. To believe that a new beginning is here right now. Not tomorrow, not next week, but NOW! All I have to do is lay down my control and allow God to make the decisions that are right for my life. Ah, but that is the hard part, isn't it?
Every day is a day of surrendering. Then and only then can real change occur and just like the perfect Easter message, it is in the exact measure in which it is to occur for my life. "If it is to be, then it is up to God to make it be..." I like that. How about you?
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
On my way to Boise...
Our family is going through a tragedy right now. It hurts. It is real...hearts and dreams are broken.
My nephew, Nate Mansfield, age 27, passed away last Wednesday, March 11. No words can describe the sadness my heart experienced, and yet, it is no where near the sadness my brother and his family felt. The rawness. The unbelief that it actually happened. The daily numbness...
While I sit here making plans to get on a plane to Boise tomorrow with my brothers and sisters beside me, I wonder about how we will all get through this. The truth is we won't. Nate's life touched each of ours. Even though we didn't often talk, we always knew he was out there, and when we got to see each other at family events, there was Nate with his big smile, warm laughter, and great big hugs for each of us. He loved us. We knew he did...
So tomorrow begins a journey that I have never experienced before. Losing someone so young is never easy for anyone to wrap their minds around. To say goodbye will wrench our souls. God already knows this. He is prepared to carry that sorrow as it will eventually turn into joy and remembering a life with fondness and wonderful memories. The joy is knowing that we will see Nate again because of our faith in Jesus Christ. No doubts, no concerns. We WILL see him again, and when that happens, there will be laughter in Heaven...
My nephew, Nate Mansfield, age 27, passed away last Wednesday, March 11. No words can describe the sadness my heart experienced, and yet, it is no where near the sadness my brother and his family felt. The rawness. The unbelief that it actually happened. The daily numbness...
While I sit here making plans to get on a plane to Boise tomorrow with my brothers and sisters beside me, I wonder about how we will all get through this. The truth is we won't. Nate's life touched each of ours. Even though we didn't often talk, we always knew he was out there, and when we got to see each other at family events, there was Nate with his big smile, warm laughter, and great big hugs for each of us. He loved us. We knew he did...
So tomorrow begins a journey that I have never experienced before. Losing someone so young is never easy for anyone to wrap their minds around. To say goodbye will wrench our souls. God already knows this. He is prepared to carry that sorrow as it will eventually turn into joy and remembering a life with fondness and wonderful memories. The joy is knowing that we will see Nate again because of our faith in Jesus Christ. No doubts, no concerns. We WILL see him again, and when that happens, there will be laughter in Heaven...
Monday, January 26, 2009
HAS IT BEEN 4 MONTHS??? Yikes!!!
Well, two people asked me today if I was blogging anymore on this site! I took that as a sign that I needed to get back on here! So here I am!
So much has happened since September 26 (EXACTLY 4 months to the day of my last post!) We finally moved to Alexandria, VA, and have settled into a neighborhood just down the street from George and Martha Washington's final resting place. It is a wonderful place to live and every day I pinch myself as I make my way down George Washington Parkway and see the Washington Monument in front of me. I mean, we LIVE outside Washington, D.C.!!! Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think we would live here! In fact, my sister and I just talked today (she was one that asked about my blogging adventures or lack thereof) and we both are amazed that things we never thought would be a part of our lives are now on a regular basis! That's just how life is, isn't it?
On January 20 this year, my family and I went to the Inauguration of our first African-American President. It was such an amazing experience, and though we didn't vote for him, we could appreciate all the people that never thought they'd see the day a black man/woman would be President of the United States! Talk about a life-changing moment for all of us. Millions of people were there sharing an historical event such as many of us have never seen in our lifetimes. Standing there, freezing I must admit, watching the teletron with President Obama taking the Oath of Office, saying he would "uphold the position of President of the United States of America, so help me, God" left me with goosebumps (and not just because I was cold!). Shouts of victory went up all over the place and we heard our voices amongst the rest!! It was just so neat - a memory we will never forget.
So when you think you'll never see something transpire in your lifetime, don't blink an eye when it happens! It's a surprise event that will leave you breathless! Enjoy!
So much has happened since September 26 (EXACTLY 4 months to the day of my last post!) We finally moved to Alexandria, VA, and have settled into a neighborhood just down the street from George and Martha Washington's final resting place. It is a wonderful place to live and every day I pinch myself as I make my way down George Washington Parkway and see the Washington Monument in front of me. I mean, we LIVE outside Washington, D.C.!!! Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think we would live here! In fact, my sister and I just talked today (she was one that asked about my blogging adventures or lack thereof) and we both are amazed that things we never thought would be a part of our lives are now on a regular basis! That's just how life is, isn't it?
On January 20 this year, my family and I went to the Inauguration of our first African-American President. It was such an amazing experience, and though we didn't vote for him, we could appreciate all the people that never thought they'd see the day a black man/woman would be President of the United States! Talk about a life-changing moment for all of us. Millions of people were there sharing an historical event such as many of us have never seen in our lifetimes. Standing there, freezing I must admit, watching the teletron with President Obama taking the Oath of Office, saying he would "uphold the position of President of the United States of America, so help me, God" left me with goosebumps (and not just because I was cold!). Shouts of victory went up all over the place and we heard our voices amongst the rest!! It was just so neat - a memory we will never forget.
So when you think you'll never see something transpire in your lifetime, don't blink an eye when it happens! It's a surprise event that will leave you breathless! Enjoy!
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