Sometimes it's about others and sometimes it's about yourself!

 This week was the collection week for the Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes,  I have had my boxes mostly ready to go for more than a week, but it is always exciting to actually pass them off at a collection sight.  I went to a different place this year so it will be interesting to see exactly where these boxes get sent.  Thanks to advanced technology, you can track your boxes and find out exactly where they were sent.  Isn't that simply amazing?  Since these gifts were created in honor of our little Lucas, these are for two to four year boys.  I love to imagine the looks on their faces as they open up these boxes and discover new and wonderful things that they might never have seen before.  Most of all, I covered these boxes in prayer.  Prayers that the children and their families would be blessed and come to know about Jesus.  Knowing how little most of these children have, it sure causes you to be extra grateful for all the blessings of each day.    This was a great way to spend some time thinking about others and spreading a bit of love around the world.

Then today, I am doing something that is really about myself!  Yes, it is another scrapbooking weekend.   I suppose that sounds a bit selfish, but all of us need time out of our usual routines.  We need time to indulge in creative endeavors that fill us with joy and happiness.  It is time to recharge our batteries.  For me the best part of these weekends away is time with my daughter and daughter-in-law.  I don't take this lightly!  There are many of my friends who would love to be able to spend this kind of concentrated time with their kids.  Just the fellowship time is wonderful.  

This group of scrapbooker gals and I have used this same location for several years.  This weekend will be a bit unusual though since the hotel is undergoing renovations!  There is construction in the entire lobby area and many roped off areas.  But, to tell you the truth, we simply do not care!!  None of this makes any difference to us at all.  We are really just in our own little world and not in tune with much going on around us.  It's good to be in that little bubble.

Yes, this has been a bit of a week of extremes. Thinking about others and planning for this getaway for me!   I have also been doing a bit of deep cleaning of my home, including cleaning the carpet!  Let me tell you it is a really good feeling to see all of the very dirty water go down the drain.  It makes you wonder why you didn't clean the rug sooner!  It feels so good when everything is spotless and fresh after all the hard work of actually doing the cleaning.  And then I get here to this great get away and they are doing more than cleaning.  They are remodeling and upgrading and improving.
The process isn't so great. I am sure the end result will be wonderful.

So here is my take away on this mish/mash of stuff!  There needs to be balance in all things.  Sometimes about others and sometimes for yourself.  And along the way it is really good to stop and  take a moment to clean things up.  Or even start to remodel and/or upgrade.  And the final result is really good!  I am really liking this week.  Boxes sent off and scrapbooking begun.

 I am going to sound a bit like a broken record - since I ended my last blog with this thought.  This balance thing is really all about love.  When we love Jesus with our whole heart, soul and mind, it is easier to have balance in our life.  That balance lets us do things for others, fulfilling the command to love our neighbor as ourselves. Yes, there it is!  We are to love ourselves!  It is good to find this balance -- especially when it comes with a side of scrapbooking!

Jesus, thank you for the opportunity to share your love with the world through these simple shoe boxes.  Holy Spirit, help us to remember that balance is what we should all strive for in all areas of our life.  Thank you Jesus for time away with family and friends.  Thank you for laughter and joy.  Amen

A guessing game....and the answer is love!

Some things in life are just guessing games.  Yesterday our family had a really fun guessing game as we all took a guess at the gender of Doug and Susie's anticipated baby.  As you can see from our "ballot" there was only one lone person on the boy side and the rest of us all guessed girl.  That is except for Doug and Ken!  They both refused to participate in the guessing.  Ken told someone that the baby would be human  and that was the only guess he would make!  And he wanted to vote for that.  Needless to say we were all delighted that the baby is a girl!  Susie is especially excited.

This is such a wonderful time, filled with anticipation for our family.  The time between now and when this baby is born will pass both very quickly AND very slowly!  That is certainly true of the last two years since we lost baby Lucas.  In some ways it seems like it was just a short while ago, yet in other ways this has been the longest two years that I have ever experienced.  If I have learned one thing in these hard two years, it is that we are called to live PRESENT in each day.  You can't live in the past and you can't just be longing for the future.  Jesus made that very clear so many times in the Bible.  We are instructed to keep our thoughts (and our worries) on today.  We are also told NOT to worry - since he has everything under control.

I've tried to stay totally out of the presidential election controversy over the last months.  It was certainly another example of a guessing game. And now there are so many people who seem to be living outside of the present.  There are protests and riots over things that simply have not yet happened and may never happen.  Now more than ever we all just need to be present in today, asking Jesus what our tasks are for today.  He's got everything under control. We need to stop the assuming what will happen in the future and stop the entire guessing game of the next four years.

The great topper of my weekend was a wonderful time, actually getting to meet and listen to Dr. Brian Simmons - the man responsible for The Passion Translation.  I have quoted from this translation many times on this blog.  My daily devotional times almost always include The Passion Translation, which speaks directly to my spirit as I read.  The interesting thing about this event was that it was also sort of a guessing game as to whether or not the meeting would happen!  The leader of the ministry sponsoring Dr, Simmons actually had a medical emergency hours before this event was to take place.

I confess that my prayers were not only for the total health and well being of the leader, but also that this meeting would actually happen!  I have been eagerly waiting for a chance to meet Pr. Simmons.  Thankfully although the leader did need to spend time under medical care, the meeting went on as planned, thanks to a wonderful group of support staff in this ministry.  What a wonderful night hearing not only the powerful testimony of this man and his wife, but also being encouraged and blessed through his words shared with us.  There were so many amazing thoughts in that two hour talk..... but here are just a couple of things to ponder.

*Everything springs from love.  Love is the epicenter of who God is and what He does. His Love for us - His Bride is revealed in the Song of Songs.

*The Hebrew word for singing is a homonym which also means to prune.  It is our worship that prunes us.  The dead things are severed from us when we worship.

*John 17 will be a highlighted chapter in the year 2017.  (I think I will be spending a bit of time meditating on this chapter)

Oh, there was so much more!  I am so thankful that I got to meet this man and listen to him for this very short time.   Love was the overwhelming topic of this meeting.  Love was the very center of our family time and our anticipation for that new baby girl.  Love is the answer to the controversy and the turmoil in our country post election.  Love.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.

Jesus, thank you for speaking so clearly in the Bible about love.  Holy Spirit, help us to start each day  knowing that we are loved by You.  Remind us all to love before anything else.  Keep us mindful of our neighbors and mindful of Your great love for us.  Thank you Jesus for my newest little granddaughter!  Amen

A well planned event...that ended with a dance

It is always such a treat to be with these cuties and Monday was extra special!  Lia had planned a special day for us - a "Grandma and Me Tea Party".  Anna was invited to join us since it is not a good idea to leave an almost three year old to their own devices!  And you certainly can not trust a five year old and a seven year old to "watch" their little sister.  The idea came from this book that I had gifted to Lia.....

For anyone not familiar with American Girl, they have quite the cult following and most girls between the ages of 4 and 12 are familiar with these much sought after dolls, clothes, accessories and books, as well as craft items and much more......well you get the idea.  There are giant magazines filled with items that always seem to appear on our girl's wish lists.  This is a really cute book, filled with ideas and things to do for a girl and her Grandma.  Lia decided that this was the week for our special day.  

We started with a special tea party that included various snacks.  Anna's favorite part of the party was pouring the "tea" (which was actually water).  Over the course of the morning she filled (and drank) that tea pot full of water more times than I could count.  Needless to say, she got more than her daily recommended water intake.  The party continued with a very complicated dance routine (this is Lia's 8th year of dance classes) that I tried my best to follow.  At the end of this dance time I had several things that I had discovered....... 1.  I am not a dancer   2.  I am pretty much out of shape   3.  Even the stuff that looked easy was really hard for me   4.  I should probably be doing this kind of thing more often.  

The girls had a great time.  They actually had me video their dance presentations and invited Ellie and Zeke to be the audience.  Zeke believes that the audience should be constantly cheering and shouting (which, of course, is really fun for a five year old boy).  Anna was able to do a very long dance routine all by herself.  It is amazing how quickly she picks up the dance moves from her sisters.  I suspect she will be a dancer also.  I was quite happy to be part of the audience and rest on the sofa by this time.  

What a wonderful, refreshing time this was for me!  Lia had made this very special plan and had everything all set up and ready to go.  How can you not just feel special when someone goes to all this trouble for you?  The best part is how much fun we had spending time together.  I am so thankful for Gwen and Tim's decision to home school the kids.  Instead of just a few short minutes before the bus on the day I am there, we have the entire morning.  This time together is so precious to me.  

Time together - just being together - doing the small things.  I needed this time.  What a reminder it was for me of the call that I have been hearing from Jesus over the last months.  All he wants is for us to spend some time with him.  He asks us to come like little children and just be with him.  It doesn't have to be a only on Sunday morning while seated in a church.  As a matter of fact, I think that Jesus is so much more desiring that we just invite him into our homes for a little tea party!  For so many years my "quiet times" were actually just forced minutes squeezed into my day for a short devotional from a book, followed by a list of my prayer concerns.  Now don't get me wrong here.  There is nothing wrong with this routine.  The problem was that I never really invited Jesus to join me in it!  Some how I had missed this really important step!  My tea party with Lia reminded me that I need to remember to set aside this precious "face to face" time with Jesus.  It might include a devotional or a bible story.  But just imagine how differently you might read that passage if you had Jesus sitting next to you on the couch.  He wants to be with us.  To eat with us - yes to have tea with us!  Even pretend tea!  And I know that he would want to dance with each of us also.  One of my favorite songs is  Dance With Me by Paul Wilbur.  

I expected that Monday would be one of those really tense days because of the election on Tuesday.  There was so much heavy stuff no matter where you looked.  I actually was thinking on Sunday how nice it would be to just skip Monday and Tuesday and go directly to Wednesday when it would be over.  Thanks to Lia, I was reminded again, that all I needed was a tea party to lighten my mood.  A dance and yes, some face to face time with Jesus.  My Monday and Tuesday were calm and peace filled days.    

If you are feeling done in by the stress of the world, your life or your situation, I encourage you to have some tea with Jesus.  And be sure and listen to that song and have a dance with Jesus.   

Thank you Jesus for knowing exactly what we need each day.  Thank you for Lia and her desire to just spend time with me.  Holy Spirit remind all of us how much we need time with Jesus.  Thank you for the faith of little children.  Amen

Historic event when the impossible becomes ACTUAL!

Everyone in Chicago suddenly believes that the impossible is POSSIBLE!  Our Chicago Cubs actually won the World Series for the first time in 108 years. 

 Chicago is an interesting town in that it has five professional sports teams that have many, many SERIOUS fans!  The Chicago Bears, The Chicago Bulls, The Chicago Blackhawks, The Chicago White Sox and The Chicago Cubs!  There is an ongoing rivalry between the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Cubs.  You are either a "Northsider" (Cubs fan) or a "Southsider" (White Sox fan).  In spite of the dismal history of the Cubs, there were many people who, at the end of each season, said "Wait until next year!"  Wrigley Field (the home of the Cubs) is always crowded on game day and the entire neighborhood (appropriately named Wrigleyville) is considered one of the top places to live in Chicago.  There is just something about the Cubs that inspired the fan following.  But at a time like this - a HISTORIC WIN - the entire city became Cubs fans.  

Ken took to the streets of Chicago very early on Friday morning to participate in this incredible event of the celebration parade and presentation of the trophy.  He hit downtown at around 7:00am and the crowds were already gathering.  

In the matter of a few hours, it became very clear to him that there were an unusual number of people gathering for this event.  The streets, and every part of the downtown area were jammed with fans.  People just wanting to catch a glimpse of the parade with these hometown hero Cubbies and their long awaited trophy.  Seriously, if you watched any of this on TV, it was a simply a mass of people.  

Ken decided to wait out the parade at a somewhat safe distance (the Adler Planetarium) and then make an early escape back to the suburbs - before the crowds!  

He captured this picture after the parade had passed by.  He managed to stay well away from the crush of people and got safely out of the city before mid afternoon.  It was interesting to read the news articles that showed over 5 MILLION people were at this event.  As of today, they have increased that number based on photographs and calculations made by event coordinators.   Whatever the final number, there were LOTS of people in the city of Chicago on Friday!  

It is quite interesting that my children have seen all five of these Chicago sports teams win their championships!  They saw the Chicago Bears win the Superbowl in 1985.  Then the Chicago Bulls won the championships in 1991,1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998.  The Blackhawks have actually won the Stanley Cup three times in recent years 2010, 2013 and 2015.  And the White Sox won the World Series 2005. Add the Chicago Cubs in 2016 to that list and it is really quite impressive!   Yes, Chicago is a town that loves their sports!

I confess here that I am not a sports fan.  I really don't follow any of the sports that closely.  I just have never been interested much in these games.  But something really interesting is happening with this recent win by the Cubs.  With all of the political junk just pouring over the airwaves, it has felt heavy and oppressive as the election draws nearer.  Chicago has a somewhat dark past, as far as the political scene goes and has been known for its "dirty elections" for decades.  People in Illinois have been heard to say "Illinois - the only state where the Governors MAKE the License Plates" since several of our former governors have served jail time for their unethical activities.  It just seemed like there was nothing that could break this cycle of dishonest politics.  For those of us in the outlying counties, our votes never really seemed to count much since Chicago always directed the outcome of elections.  Certainly an impossible situation.  Just like the Cubs ever winning a World Series.  

Suddenly, with all of those people joining together to celebrate such a long awaited victory, the atmosphere around Chicago has changed.  People are believing that impossible things can really happen.   This breakthrough victory after so many years, when so many people believed that the team was cursed, has broken something in the spiritual realm.  Our country is in the middle of a huge battle right now that will have far reaching effects on many areas of our life.  This election is not just about two candidates running for one office.  It is about the entire political system that has gone unchecked for years and years.  No matter which candidate wins this election, people are suddenly much more aware of the bias and untruths in the media.  You can't help but see that this impossible win by the Cubs, that broke this curse of failure over the team, has implications beyond baseball.  

The weather has been amazing this last week.  Warm, sunny days with clear blue skies.  It has really been a breath of fresh air for us.  I am so thankful for the wonderful weather and this reminder that impossible things ARE possible!  I just love that Jesus - THE GOD of the impossible being made possible - always knows exactly what we need.  Whether it is a warm, breezy sunny day in the first week of November or an impossible win by a hometown sports team, Jesus answers our needs.  Even when we don't know how to voice those needs.  No matter where you go today around Chicago, the people are happy and smiling.  Anyone wearing a Cubs hat or shirt gets an immediate response from others passing by.  There is a sense of joy and wonder.  I know I needed this change in the atmosphere and I know that I am not alone.  The election is a few days away.  Ken and I have already cast our ballots.  But for anyone out there who has not yet voted, let me encourage you to get out and vote.  Don't believe that your vote doesn't matter or that this is an impossible situation.  Take heart. Pray for the guidance that only Jesus can give and then cast your vote.  Most of all believe that anything is possible with Jesus!  That is true today and it will be true tomorrow.  It will also be true on Wednesday - no matter who wins this election.  Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords

Join me today and breathe in that fresh fall sunshine.  Stand a moment in the celebration of a long and hard won battle fought by a sports team to finally have that trophy in hand.  Close you eyes and remember that with Jesus all things are possible.  Relax and be refreshed today.  

Jesus, you are an amazing God who shows us your power in everyday situations.   Thank you for  reminding us all that we can trust in you for guidance and direction.  Holy Spirit, give wisdom to everyone who is voting in this election.  Pour out your peace and grace over us all in the next week.   Amen

Changed lives.....

On Tuesday our family gathered together to remember and celebrate our precious little Lucas, who would have been two years old on that day.  It hardly seems possible that two years have passed since our family was shaken to the core by the sudden and unexplained death of my little 10 day old grandson.  Hearing about this kind of tragedy is far different than actually experiencing it.  I know that our family is not alone in the loss of a child.  You can hardly scan Facebook or hear the news without some report of children leaving their families way too soon.  While we have been shaken to the core, we are also still standing.  We are standing together.   And for that I am extremely thankful.

This was the view, looking up, from the graveside of our little Lucas when we gathered at the cemetery on Tuesday.  It was a beautiful day - so warm for November 1st.  The sky was a brilliant blue and the leaves were just beautiful on all of the stately old trees that surrounded us.

It was so good to be there together with Doug and Susie - grandmas and grandpas, aunts and uncles and cousins.  Standing together and remembering and celebrating his very short life.  Gwen and Tim and the kids had made a wonderful stepping stone that includes each of their thumb prints.  

I left a small sun catcher of a robin that I found when Ken and I were traveling a few weeks ago.  

The robin is a symbol of light.  And Lucas' name means light.  It is also the symbol for hope and the bringer of new life, since it is often the first bird spotted in the spring time.  I tied some rainbow colored ribbons onto this, to celebrate Doug and Susie's anticipated new baby, making Lucas a big brother.  This symbol of hope seemed particularly fitting to me since Jesus has been speaking hope into me over these really difficult last two years.  In the midst of this great loss it seemed impossible to imagine having hope.  But each day there seemed to be a new measure of hope.  Jesus knew exactly what I needed and every day I had just enough for that day.  

Just as we did last year, we are sending Operation Christmas Child  boxes in remembrance of Lucas.  My five boxes are sitting here next to me, awaiting delivery on collection week.  Every little trinket and toy, every crayon and health supply is packed with prayers for that little boy who will receive them.  It's just a small way to honor and remember Lucas.  

None of us knows exactly what God's purpose is for our life.  Or how He might use us to fulfill His plans to love the world.  I am convinced that the length of our life - the number of our days here on earth - doesn't matter at all to Jesus.  He sees the impact of each person in ways that we can't begin to fathom.  As I was standing there, thinking about Lucas, I was remembering this......

A tiny pebble, thrown into the water, makes rings that go on and on and never seem to end.  It doesn't take a big rock to do this.  Just a tiny, small bit will cause this effect.  Lucas has made an impact on our family that will never end.  His life changed all of our lives.  Because of our love for Lucas, because we are standing together and going on, because of that impossible hope, we will remember and his life will make a difference.  

Jesus, thank you for your great gift of hope - even when we feel totally hopeless.  Holy Spirit, continue to give Doug and Susie strength to walk on another day.  Bless them with peace and that extra measure of hope each day.  Thank you Jesus for your loving arms that hold us when everything around us seems to be shaken.  Thank you for your great love.  Amen 

Finding the flowing water....

This past few days I have been away at a wonderful Conference put on by Chicago HUB, the Ministry Group that I attend.  HUB stands for His United Body and this group is really a picture of that unity.  The days (and evenings and nights) were filled (and I mean filled) with top notch, well known speakers.  There was actually more than one worship team and the worship was just amazing at every session.  The prayer and intercession times, led by a really neat guy who is a part of HUB, were incredible.  It was truly an international event with people from all over the world in attendance.  The nations came to Chicago and then together, we turned our focus to Jesus and His promises!

The Conference Center where this event was held, is an amazing place.  The design is actually a Frank Lloyd Wright design.  There are all of the typical marks of his architecture including lots of angles and water!  This waterfall is in the center of the conference center.  When I had a few minutes to spare, I would stand and listen to this waterfall - either from the second story or from the downstairs area.  I have blogged before about my draw to flowing water of any kind, and this waterfall certainly works for me!  On the third day of the event, I was standing overlooking this waterfall,  in line to enter the meeting.  A man standing in front of me pointed out that there was one fish swimming in the pool at the bottom of the waterfall.   I had never noticed that fish before!  We chatted about how interesting it was that there was only one fish and also about the obvious repairs that have been made to the waterfall.  It is pretty clear that there is some damage to the base of this structure and it looks like they are trying to keep the whole thing from falling down!

After getting home very late last night, I have felt a bit "foggy" today.  In honesty, the conference is still going on!  But I was just so tired that I knew that I needed to be at home today, resting and taking in all that I had heard over the previous days.  As I sat down to write this blog, the first thing that came into my mind was that waterfall.  And that one lonely fish.  Considering everything I had seen and heard and experienced this seemed really interesting to me!  Why the waterfall and why that fish?

Well, I have often felt like that one lonely fish, swimming around in pool, all by myself.  I would think, "Wow! This is such a great place and all the things around me are so amazing!  Where is everyone else?"  But this conference was very different for me.  I was surrounded by my "tribe".  Several of my small group friends were also at this conference.  So I certainly was not feeling like that lonely fish, was I?   Well, have you ever heard that you can be really lonely even if you are surrounded by a large crowd of people?  Even people that you know well?   Yes, I guess I was feeling a bit like that fish.  And I am sure that there were other people who also were feeling sort of alone.  Suddenly I understood what this feeling was all about.  I was remembering.  

The speaker last night was someone that I had heard many, many times in the 1990's,  Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne.    If you take a moment and click on that link with his name, and read about his ministry, you will be amazed.  The man is on a mission to change the world and he is succeeding.  In those early years of his ministry, before 2002, he was known for the laughter and other signs and wonders that followed him.  In 2002 the direction of his ministry shifted to winning souls and he shared last night that he believes that his ministry has won over 10,000,000 souls for Jesus.  Yes that is 10 MILLION!  All of those amazing signs and wonders still follow this man's message. As a matter of fact, they have INCREASED!   He actually said that he has not been back to Chicago for 20 years! After last night he indicated that he just might come and do a 30 day crusade here!  That would be amazing.

Anytime that he would be at an event, during those long ago days,  there would be a flurry of activity to plan lots of car pools so that we could all attend.  We would trade off driving since the events where usually held quite a distance from us.  I recall that the drives back and forth and the fellowship in the cars was a wonderful part of the experience.  But 20 years is a long time.  As I sat there last night, listening to his message, I felt sad that I was not sitting with any of those people from the past.  We have all seemed to go our different ways.  I was thankful for my new "tribe" - my wonderful friends that surround me and pray for me.  But I was missing those old friends.  It's funny how a shared experience stays with you for so long.  Here I was, experiencing this great man, once again.  But there was no one to remember those long ago meetings.  No one to share those memories.

But in all of that, one of the BIGGEST messages of the entire conference was to leave the PAST in the PAST!  To move on and take those steps into those new places and into new experiences.  Several of the speakers talked of that river of living water that is FLOWING out of our belly.  A river that never stays in one place, that moves and flows and grows as it flows.  The message was to do something with everything we have heard.   To go and to share and to love the world.

Yes, I can see now what Jesus has been saying to me tonight.  It is a reminder to keep looking up and moving on.  Something that so many of us seem to forget from time to time.  Me included.  That lone fish had a message for me.  Stop looking down at the pool and look up!  Notice the ever flowing water.  I needed to see this man of God, to hear his story, to understand how Jesus moves us all along the path and even changes our direction.  But when we find ourselves flowing into new and strange places, away from people we have been so close to, we need to be reminded that we are not alone!  Jesus is with us and there will be new people coming along side of us to share this part of our journey.  We need to just keep on flowing.....

It has been a very full few days.  I have pages and pages of notes to pour over and digest and chew on.  But I am so thankful that there are reminders of all that Jesus has done.  I am sure that Jesus will be there with you wherever you are along that path.  Just keep looking up at Jesus and take that first step.  And I am talking to myself tonight!

Jesus, thank you for these times out of our normal routines.  We need the interruptions of daily life so that we can remember what is really important.  It is all about you. Its all about that flowing, living water of the Holy Spirit.  Help us all to absorb what you are saying tonight.  Speak it deep into our hearts today.  Amen

When things just go right........

This happy girl, Lia, had so much fun using her "Easy Bake Oven" to make this cake with me on Monday.  She is actually quite capable of making REAL cake in the REAL oven, but being able to do this totally on her own was just a great activity for a Monday morning.   I got to "supervise" the entire process and that little cake is actually TWO cakes that are layered into one halfway decent serving of cake.  The entire process took us about an hour by the time we let the Easy Bake oven heat up, cooked two cakes and cooled them off.  During the time that we were busy in the kitchen, Anna was quite happy playing with her beloved "little people".   She is so into imaginative play right now.  It is fun to listen to her talking for each of the little people.  This airplane "talks" and one of the things that it says is that it is "take off time"!  I watched as Anna picked up the plane and flew it around the room!  I just love seeing kids learn as they play.

At the same time, Zeke and Ellie were playing school!  Now this is not so unusual for kids to play school.  What was unusual was that they were playing "HOME SCHOOL"!  Ellie was the teacher and Zeke was the student and Ellie was helping him learn his letters and numbers.  She was also helping him learn to read.  And then, just like Gwen, she was reading to him!

This is quite the accomplishment for a girl who has had a difficult time herself learning to read!  It was so good to stand in another room and hear her read book after book to Zeke, as the teacher of his class! 

Yes, the hours just flew by on Monday and so quickly it was time for lunch and Gwen's return home.  It was one of those days when everything just seemed to go right!  Everyone got along, there were no disagreements, I don't remember one unreasonable request.  Yes, it was just a great day.

Isn't life funny that way?  Sometimes things just "click" and everything seems to go right in your day.  But then just as quickly, everything that you touch seems to fall apart and your day just goes downhill fast.  Last week, I had one of those not so good days.  It started when I got out bed and realized that I was feeling very light headed and dizzy.  Several little annoying things happened before I even left the bedroom - I dropped a bottle of contact solution, spilling out a large amount.  I ran into the foot board of the bed and broke my toenail AGAIN! (Why does it seem that you always manage to hit the same toe over and over?)  Well, you get the idea.  And the rest of the day went pretty much the same way.  One little irritating thing after the other.  But here is the thing -  I didn't stop to realize that I was letting all of this little stuff really get me down.  As a matter of fact, it was actually several days later that I put two and two together and got the message that I had let these small issues become one very large package that I was trying to carry around.   I remember hearing a story about this exact thing!  If you have a small amount of weight gradually added to your back pack, you really don't notice how heavy it is becoming until suddenly, it is very hard to carry and you have a bad back ache!  If you filled up the back pack with all the weight at once, you would never be able to lift it onto your back and would never attempt to carry it all.  

And that is how all those little things can become one really big problem.  You think that they are not bothering you.  You don't really feel the weight of each small thing.  Then another really small thing happens and you realize that you are crushed by the weight of a combined big problem made up of all the small things.  It is the "straw that broke the camels back"!   My take away on this topic is to remember to stop and think before I just let a small thing drop into my backpack.  On that not so good day I had, wouldn't it have helped me to stop and realize that I should take some allergy medicine to help with the dizziness?  If I had,  I might not have run into the bed and hurt my toe!   I also would not have been fighting a headache for the rest of the day.  And I am sure that each small thing was even more annoying to me because of that.  Most of all, I should have just stopped and taken some time to worship and pray.  I am sure that my day would have had a much different outcome if that had been my response.  It's easy to remember to pray when there is a BIG problem, but so easy to forget when it is just a few small issues.  

Yes, it is all about keeping your focus on what is really important. And remembering who can take care of it all!   We can so easily become distracted by life.  All of the small things and the big things that are clammering around us.  I know that I could not get through my days without my times of worship and prayer that remind me to keep my eyes on Jesus.  That really good day on Monday seemed even better to me, because of that really not so good day I had last week.  It is all about perspective, isn't it?  And gratefulness.  I am so thankful that Jesus has his hand on me.  On the good days!  And on the not so good days!

Jesus, thank you for your continual presence with us in all the times of our life.  When things are going well and when things are not so good.  Holy Spirit, give us those reminders that we need to not hold on to the little things.  Help us to cast our cares on Jesus and keep our load light.  Thank you Jesus for a wonderful, fun day with the kids!  Amen