New Year's Resolutions and Reflections

 

Considering New Year's Resolutions and curious about past resolutions,

Mom's Diary

I pulled out my mother's diary.


January 1, 1955:  Left home at 8 a.m. We all went to Carolyn's in Sioux City to watch the Rose Parade on TV. A nice warm day. (We had no TV at our own home.)
January 1, 1956:  Church and Sunday School.
January 1, 1957:  We all went to church. Dad came out to watch Rose Parade and spent rest of day. I ironed all afternoon and washed eggs. (TV arrives and times have definitely changed.... washing eggs? Ironing?... did Mother even get to watch the parade?)
January 1, 1958:  Went to church and then to Art's for dinner. Plautz's and Kaylen and Lorraine were there.  Lorraine got a diamond for Christmas.

My mother was a daily and weekly list maker.

I checked the days before January 1 and the days following.   

           No record of any New Year's Resolution!

I pulled out my own diary.
This is what I discovered written on January 1 --on sporadic occasions.

1980: New Year's Resolutions?  I used to have a list of 5 - 10 and now I have trouble thinking of some. There are a lot to be made, I guess, but I'm busier than ever and don't have time for reflection. (Pity trip?)

1987 Resolutions*

  1987... Daily Bible reading. Physical exercise daily. (There was also mention of saving $100 a month for a kids' college fund and plans of growing-out my hair.)

1991: I made some resolutions but don't have time to write them down. . .  Isaac has a cold, again.  Found out we'll be moving in the spring. (We didn't move in the spring, and at this time (2016), I have no idea where I thought we would be going.)  (Ugh?)

Perhaps when talking about where am I going,
I need to establish where I have been and where I am now when thinking about a new year.

 

 



 

My resolutions made at the beginning of a 

new year have matured along with me.  

As I've grown older, I've become more 

comfortable with myself.  

I can stop kidding myself about who I am and 

embrace the me that evolved because life 

was not always easy, take that life,

and blossom in other ways. 

 

According to Wikipedea, less than 1/2 of Americans make resolutions. Of those that do, close to 90% fail.
Telling?
Is it possible we're directing our attention or focus down the wrong path? The "me" path?

Dear Lord, 

the Christian life is a forever adventure--

may I, this year, 

share my zeal and blessings with others....

 

 

Wishing you the best with your end of the year and beginning of the year thoughts and reflections....

 

 



Too Good To Be True?

Hundreds of people huddled together in church on Christmas Eve. We had to squeeze together and, then, put out chairs to seat everyone. After scripture readings, a message, and ending with "Silent Night" as candles twinkled, we said our goodbyes along with a Merry Christmas. Babies cried during the service; no one cared. Families gathered to worship and celebrate the birthday of a king, a savior, a baby born--Son of Man and Son of God.

A nice story?
--a baby born in a manger to an unwed mother, a magnificently bright star in the sky, shepherds who came to worship him--alerted by angels, ...A Savior who would eventually die so that we might be forgiven for our frailness, disobedience, etc. and have life eternal?

Too good to be true?
Many prophetic verses from scripture foretold of the Christ Child's birth. Isaiah 7:14 reads, Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Isaiah, the prophet, a man of royal blood and high standing with the people of Jerusalem prophesized this birth over 800 years before Jesus was born. Some say there are over 100 prophesies--many of them in Isaiah, but also in Micah and Zechariah.

Too good to be true?
It's true and it's good!
Because God sent his Son to earth to be one of us, we can have an abundant life. Yes, I know the world is a mess right now. But, it's all in God's hands. One day, His kingdom will come. We will have that blessed eternal life. How do I know? It's been prophesized. John 3:16 says it best: For God so loved the world, that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Tell Your Story...

A little over 2000 years ago, a very pregnant Mary was riding a donkey on her way to Bethlehem--the city of David. Bethlehem was the place where God first's appointed earthly king, David, was born and raised as a shepherd boy 1000 years before Mary took her journey.

Because Mary and Joseph were both of the lineage of David, they made this trip to take part in a census as was the law during the time.

We know the story: they ended up in a stable because there was no room in the inn. A stable with noisy and smelly animals. A stable where the Christ child was born. Can you imagine Mary's thoughts? Gabriel had told her she would give birth to a son, that his name would be Jesus. He would be called the Son of the Most High; his kingdom would never end.    

....Talk about over-whelming....

Listen to the song, "Mary Did You Know"... just google it. It will help you understand the magnitude of all this: Jesus' birth!

2000 years later, here we are. It's our story, too, because we are all of the family of Christ.

Some stories are told. Some stories are left untold. Tell your story. Tell what it means to believe in Christmas.

It's a Matter of Life and Death

Although most things in life are not matters of “life and death,” I sometimes act that way. On the day of one of our daughter’s wedding, I assigned a few simple chores to our teenaged son. He left to do them, returned, and hadn’t completed what I thought he should have. Because of the stress of the day (my only excuse), I laid into him about being responsible. He looked at me sympathetically and basically told me that I needed to settle down. I could have gone off on him again; however, I knew  that he was right.

It’s the season of busy-ness and we can get caught up in “life and death” matters. For example, you weren’t able to find the perfect gift for Jimmy (the thing he really wanted); the ham was too expensive so you’re doing turkey again; grandma and grandpa can’t come (it will never be the same); his family’s Christmas get-together conflicts with mine…

The only thing that is really a matter of life and death is your love for Christ. Romans 14:8,9 tells us “If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord…” ... need a :-) here

Instead of things being a matter of life and death... in Christ, things can be a matter of life and death and life again. Because that is what God has promised—an eternity with Him. People long for answers. They long for hope. ...Advent is the season of hope. They long to believe this life is not all there is. And, it is not. It is a matter of life, and death, and life again.

And the story of all of this “life again” started over 2000 years ago when a baby, the Christ Child, was born in Bethlehem.

... And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

 

You Can Tell a Lot By a Book's Cover....

Book covers are interesting. At times, they seem not to be related to the book at all. Sometimes, they give a clue as to what the story is about. In the novel, DO NOT BE DECEIVED, there is an evergreen along with grasses on top of a house. We first learn of the evergreen when Donna Verrill, a new student, introduces Cassandra, her friend, kiddingly with, “This is Cassandra. Cassandra Walwyn. She lives in the house with a tree growing out of it.” Others picked up on it, but were not as kind, ending the statement with, “She’s weird.”

Several chapters later, Cassandra asks her dad if they can take the tree off the house and decorate it for Christmas.  Her dad explains that if the tree is uprooted from the roof, snow will drift down on her sleepy head. So, the tree stays until much later in the book when something explosive happens.

The tree is significant to the story. Cassandra lived a desperate life. Desperation digs a hole, something gets planted (maybe for good; maybe for bad). The tree had roots on the roof, but, of course, they were shallow roots; nevertheless, it thrived. Like Cassandra’s life, her roots in love were shallow. Her roots in God’s grace were shallow. But, they were thriving nevertheless because of her perseverance.

I hope you read the book and find out what happened to the tree and to Cassandra….

 

 

 

The Busines of Living and Rest

It’s that time of year. My list is lengthy, and there are piles on my kitchen countertops. Let me see, there’s the cookie recipe stack, the gift wrappings, the ingredients for Chex Mix, empty prescription bottles that need to be called in for re-fills, bills waiting to be paid. While I consider all this, the washer spins downstairs and the dryer clunk-clunks several pair of heavy jeans. The turkey broth (from Thanksgiving bird) sits on the frosty deck table waiting to be made into soup.

I look at the clock: 7:30 a.m. With granola and a cup of coffee already inside me, I consider my day. Do I really have to do all this? Jesus tells us, “Come to me, and I will give you rest.” What I’m thinking is -- I want all this stuff done, and, then, I’ll rest. But, if you’re like me, once the jobs are checked off on your list and a new day begins, there’s a new list with more things to be done.

The busy-ness will never stop. It’s a part of life. If you’ve ever been bored, you know that busy-ness ain’t all that bad. Perhaps the rest Christ speaks of is that we know that whatever happens, whatever gets done or doesn’t get done, we are secure in Christ’s love for us.

If you don’t have that perfect Christmas cookie tray, your kids may be disappointed, but they will still love you. If you didn’t have time to wrap your gifts to others, the scene beneath your tree won’t be as colorful, but the gift was given with love. If you burn the Christmas ham, if you slip and fall on the ice and others have to wait on you this season, there is still love. No matter what.

So, amidst your busy-ness, find time to rest. It’s okay. God wants you to.

Black Friday and Solitude

A lack of  contact with people is solitude.

If you were a Black-Friday shopper, you may be over-due for a little solitude.

However, one doesn't need Black Friday to be inundated with noise and activities. Entering a sports bar one evening, we heard conversations, music, and at least fifteen different television sets with various games and sitcoms.

In our homes, we have television--some of us, 24/7-- where actors or talk-show participants interrupt each other. Movies provide action-packed shoot-outs, accidents, etc. with complementary NOISE.

Phones blurp or sing to let us know of calls and text messages; computers do likewise. Depending on your work place--noises vary from ear-plug demanding sounds to constant chatter where cubicle offices are lined up for long stretches. Games? Concerts? Does anyone think all this noise is over-done?

When is the last time you heard the gurgle of a brook, the rush of the wind through the trees? Can you hear the tick-tock of your clock? If it were quiet enough, could you hear the snow fall?

Solitude
Saturated with quiet
And comfortable in my skin
I'm down to earth
Above the clouds
And somewhere in between
I'm content.

Be still and know....    

Yes, the shopping will get done, the decorating will be good enough. Drop what you're doing and rest a bit. You may catch a snowflake or two or feel the sunshine on your face.              

Extravagant? Perhaps so....

One doesn't have to be wealthy to be extravagant....

During breakfast, I flipped on TV to see "Beautiful Homes and Great Estates." I was fascinated and appalled. The master bedroom had more square feet than our entire house. Shoes, clothing, and jewelry filled room-size closets. Even though I was fascinated, I could not live comfortably in such a house with multiple fireplaces, bathrooms, and waterfalls.

 At times, I've considered myself frugal, a minimalist knowing that things do not bring me happiness. However, I looked at my breakfast and reconsidered the word extravagant.

My meal contained eight different items: coffee, grapes, carrots, salmon, multi-grain bread, almond butter, kale, and oatmeal (with wheat germ, flax, cinnamon, dried blueberries, walnuts) topped with almond milk....

Extravagant? Seemingly so when there are persons who eat rice three times a day. And, we're not talking "Survivor."

Still curious about my frugal life, I counted the number of items used in my getting-ready-for-the-day routine. Let's see, there was toothpaste, floss, mouth wash, shampoo, conditioner, moisturizer, body lotion. Okay... I'm forgetting the makeup today.

Something to consider-- Jesus tells us to care for widows, orphans, the poor. Although my food items are keeping me healthy and my getting-ready-for-the-day items are keeping me easier to look at and be with, I need to re-consider how I use my resources.

It's Thanksgiving week. Let us each be thankful for our many blessings and with joy give freely to others who are in need. .... and always, always give praise and glory to our Creator God, the first and greatest giver.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Relationships and All Reality

“One of the most important scientific ideas to emerge in the 20^th Century showed that all reality from the atom to the universe can be understood in terms of relationships.”

Cassandra (from DO NOT BE DECEIVED) struggled with her many difficult relationships—her father, her classmates, a boyfriend. However, some of her relationships were positive-- a best friend, a church lady, the witch across the road. She took what she had—her relationships with the people in her life, the place she lived, her perceptions of life—and tried to understand what was happening and why. She goes further and works with the “so what.” In that, what do I do with what has happened to me; what is my message that can help others?

The above quote provides enough information for a day-long discussion. Think about the flowers in your back yard, the mountains in the distance, the brewing thunderstorm, cancer, an emotional outburst. They each have to do with interactions.
      Considering all this, what an amazing Creator we have. Knowing this, we can understand things differently.

Psalm 16 reads, “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;…”  Cassandra, like you, had people in her life, she had a place to live and grow up, she had God’s spirit within her. What she did with all this became her legacy.

Something to think about.

You Are Light in the Lord!

Although DO NOT BE DECEIVED is a 300 page novel, Cassandra's life could be summed up with the verse from Ephesians 5:8—“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.”

Abandoned by her mother and left with an abusive father during her growing-up years, how could she possibly live “as children of the light” when her world was so dark….

As we each are in our individual situations, Cassandra was frail, susceptible—shaped by her life circumstances. However, she never gave up seeking something bigger and better than her personal trials. Through these struggles, significant characters came into her life—one of them being Pastor J who gave her several type-written sheets of prayers. Cassandra thought he had over-done it! She didn’t even know if she knew how to pray.

However, she took the prayers from Paul’s book of Ephesians and started to pray, “I ask God, the glorious Father, to give me the Spirit who will make me wise and who will reveal God to me so that I may know him. I ask that my mind may be open to see his light so that I will know what is the hope to which God has called me…and how very great is His power at work in us who believe….”

There were other prayers. Cassandra prayed them in the morning, in the evening, and when she thought she could no longer take what her life offered and came to understand that God’s word was crucial to her existence.

Praying is simply talking to God like you would a friend. However, the Bible has some pretty neat prayers, too.

Need a prayer for the day?

 For once I was full of darkness, but now I desire light (truth) from the Lord.  Feelings change, minds change; I am frail, susceptible—shaped by my life circumstances. My conscience sometimes changes in the heat of anger or times of great emotional stress. Help me to go forward trusting God’s word, the unchangeable standard, the Light and Truth essential to my life. Amen

 

Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones....

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” A childhood chant from long ago has stuck with me. I know it is not true.

In the novel, DO NOT BE DECEIVED, Cassandra is ridiculed by childhood friends.

“She’s a liar! She’s such a big, fat liar that her mother and that strange sister left her. Just took off on her. Probably deserved it.” Cassandra is made fun of because her house has a tree growing on top of it. She is called “loser,” “white trash,” and “witch-girl.”

She is also made to feel small and insignificant by her father.

“What kills the skunk is the publicity it gives itself.” … and “Better to remain silent and thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”

Insignificant? Unworthy? Unloved? An unknown? A mistake? Some of us can relate to Cassandra in that we have had moments in our lives when these feelings surface. However, when we seek God, we see a different perception. Significant. Worthy. Loved. Purposeful. From Psalm 139 we read, “You formed my inward parts…. I am fearfully and wonderfully made... and my soul knows it very well…. In your book were all written the days that were ordained for me…”

Yes, sticks and stones may break your bones, but the Word of God helps, guides, instructs, heals all things. Please know, that he did form you, that he knew what your life would be like before you were born, and that he has a plan for you. Time to seek Him….

Lost Horizon

I picked out the smallest book I could find in our school library for my report. Mrs. Anderson, my esteemed English teacher, was speechless. I was a good student, and, here, I had picked out LOST HORIZON, by James Hilton, probably the shortest novel in the school library.

Why? I didn’t especially like to read. I found it an effort.
She asked me to re-think my decision. I told her I was comfortable with the book I had chosen but started to re-think my position as I walked back to my seat and spotted all the one to three inch hardback novels being read by my classmates. I felt about as small as my skinny paperback.

LOST HORIZON, however, is assured a place in publishing history in that it was the first novel published in paperback in 1939. And, made into a film in 1973…. which proves a book does not have to be of epic proportions to be successful. (Okay, need a smiley face, here.)

Somehow, my world changed in many ways, and I became an avid reader in college and beyond. I also started to write (short books and one of more novel proportions).  So, if there’s a needed reason here for my LOST HORIZON story, it is that we change, or, at least, we are capable of doing so.

What lies ahead? I’ll continue to read and write. I just started Michener’s HAWAII—talk about a book of epic proportions. Writing? The thought of writing another novel is a tad over-whelming. I have ideas. Writers always have ideas—sometimes too many. 

Mrs. Anderson died many years ago. But, I think she would be tickled with the idea that I have a Michener novel in my hands and that I’ve come up with a novel or two or more myself.

Shadows

When you think of shadows, 
   what are your thoughts?

Phantoms, alternated forms, darkness, and words like gloom and unhappiness arise if it is a day when your glass is half full.




It's that time of the year.  The weather turns cool. Jack-o-lanterns, scare-crows, wispy ghost figures, and frightening masks fill the store shelves and your neighbors' front porches.


When I was little and alone, shadows scared me.  With the moon creeping through an upstairs window at night and tree branches scratching the outside walls of the house, goosebumps spread on my arms and legs as the shadows scattered across my bedroom floor. 

Shadows gave rise to thoughts of other creatures.  None of them warm and fuzzy.

I had a night-time ritual. Getting down on my hands and knees, I would flip back the chenille bedspread to watch the dust bunnies scatter.  Determining it was safe under the bed, I would go to the closet. Taking a deep breath, I would grasp the handle, turn it quietly, and then whip the door open. Of course, I found nothing.

I outgrew this ritual--thankfully. However, shadows of a different nature pursued me as I journeyed life..... worry, doubt, disappointment, sickness, loneliness, rejection, guilt?



We live in a fear-based world, a world where bad news travels at light speed and good news doesn't. . . . These are troubled times, times when we have legitimate fears for the future, our nation, our world, and our families.... (Day 165, 365 Daily Devotions for Women)

Tribulation

without trust in an almighty God

separates us

from Him.

...but as Christians we have every reason to live courageously.

Yes, You Can Be a Neuroplastician

You don't have to go back to college or sign up for an on-line class. Becoming a neuroplastician is easier than you think.

Neuroplasticity is the ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections. Dr. Caroline Leaf, who studies neuroplasticity, said, “Our thoughts occupy mental ‘real estate.’ Thoughts are active; they grow and change… Every time you have a thought, it is actively changing your brain and your body—for better or for worse.”

Scary thought! Whoops, forget that. Let’s go with “interesting information.”

So, how do I get rid of all that negative stuff whirling around in my head? To begin, I can recognize them and start to dismantle each one. If your head is full of thoughts of doubt, fear, insecurity, bitterness, indecent imaginations--start the dismantling process.

Many years ago, when an early morning alarm jangled, I said, a nasty word. I knew this was ungodly, of course. So, I threw out the nasty word and started to say “fudge.” Fudge might have sounded better than the “s” word; however, my attitude was still the same (negative).

After much prayer and re-winding  that early morning tape, I started out my mornings differently. A Bible verse came to mine, a favorite hymn, a psalm.

Psalm 121 has been a recent favorite early morning beginning....

 

Neuroplastician or not, these lines from Psalm 121 are better than an early morning “fudge” any old day.

 

Coffee and Me

After a short drive to Kwik Star each morning for my coffee, I gave in and bought a Kuerig One-cupper to replace my worn-out pot. After all, a morning without coffee is not a good way to start out my day.

My first memory of coffee is the tin pot bubbling on the stove soon after sunrise while bacon sizzled in the frying pan next to it. I watched my parents drink it with their breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast. Dad would come in mid-morning for his second cup, the smell of farm animals on his coveralls.

In the church basement, as an older child, I would tie on my best apron and work in a large kitchen with my mother and the “circle” ladies cutting donated cakes and making sandwiches. Several large, blue-speckled pots sat on the stove top, a worthy flame underneath. Although I wondered, “Why the egg?” –I never asked.

I never had an interest in tasting the black liquid until I went to college and heard that the caffeine in coffee would enable me to study without falling asleep. And, so, I took sips—grimacing with each gulp, in the wee hours of morning on test day. Grimacing that is, until I discovered the caramel, gooey, humungous rolls in the campus cafeteria.  A cup of somewhat bitter, hot coffee was the right balance between the brown-sugary sweet roll.

When I started teaching, I would wait for my first cup until I got to school where a 24-cupper stood grandly in the teacher workroom and the teachers gathered for their good-mornings. After several years of teaching and a move or two, I provided day-care in our home. I started out each day, rain, shine, or blizzard by walking to the Kum and Go with my plastic re-fill cup. I’d choose the donut with cherry filling and chocolate icing, fill my cup, and walk home....

Today, I listen to the swish of my Kuerig One-Cupper, get out my Bible study materials, and settle at the dining room table for an hour. This time of content, this time of peace, this time with the Holy Scripture is my impetus for getting out of bed in the morning. It is sweeter than any caramel or jelly-filled roll.

Psalm 119:103  How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

 

Lesson From an Apple Tree

Note the hold in the base of the tree....

When visiting a friend’s farm recently, we ventured in and out of farm buildings, noted the fields glowing with golden corn stalks, and came upon several apple trees. One was especially intriguing. Not because of its beauty or the ample apples it provided, but because of its age and decrepitude.

Its branches were twisted and ancient. It’s core was partly missing. Disabled? Too old to bare fruit? Below it rested dozens of apples. It’s branches were blessed with many more. I had a feeling that the apple tree’s roots had something to do with its ability to bear fruit and the over-all appearance of strength, in spite of the large gap in its core.

I brought several home and made an apple pie....

I think there’s a lesson, here. I may be old (or getting there). I may be disabled in some way: bad hip, poor memory, hurt heart. But, one is never too anything to not bear fruit. Good fruit!

John 15: 8 tells us, By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

Sometimes, I think I'm too weary to be purposeful. The apple tree, in all its glory, showed me there is a different way to think.

 

That's Where the Tall Corn Grows

 

“We’re from Iowa, Iowa, that’s where the tall corn grows,” as the song goes. This picture of my mother was taken when she was 19-20 in the 1940’s. Her father was a seed corn dealer, and she often helped him in the fields. Please note that even though it was harvest time, the corn is not that tall.

Due to nutrients, hybrids, etc., our corn can grow as high as eight feet.  (The world record is over 30 feet!) “Knee high by the 4^th of July” no longer applies to our corn stalks.

 

It is also true that humans, in general, have grown significantly taller than their ancestors. According to my google search, it all comes down to nutrients: vitamins, minerals and proteins. This not only affects us physically, but intellectually. After all, look at all that has been achieved in the last decade or two or three that only very clever minds could accomplish.

So I think it’s safe to say that we are stronger physically and intellectually.

I’m not sure about our emotional and spiritual strengths. In a recent New York Times article, “Making Modern Toughness,” David Brooks asked veteran college teachers and administrators to describe how college students have changed over the years. The answer often was: “Today’s students are more accomplished than past generations, but they are also more emotionally fragile.” There are obviously a variety of reasons for this.

Spiritually? Many of our churches across the world sit more empty than full on a Sunday morning. I’m not saying you cannot be spiritually fed without being in church. But, it has to help.

Where am I going with all this?

I’m not sure, other than it gives one something to think about….

Plus, I really like this picture of my mom, the corn, and the clouds…. Perhaps a harvest setting capable of more serenity than large machines marching through the fields.

 

 

 

 

Too Much Pie

I started out the morning with a good breakfast: oatmeal with raisins and walnuts, an almond peanut butter sandwich with a mix of greens, and coffee.

After that, it went downhill.

My husband was hungry for potpie. So, I popped one in the oven for lunch. We finished with a slice of apple pie I had made the day before. Pie and Pie: why not!

Earlier that morning I made a pumpkin pie to serve some friends who were coming in the afternoon. After all, it was the first day of fall and pumpkin seemed appropriate. We ate it that afternoon with kool-whip.

We had an evening meeting at our church, so I pulled out left over pizza late in the afternoon for our supper. I had only a small piece of pumpkin pie in the afternoon so finished my pizza with a second slice of pumpkin pie.

Potpie. Apple pie. Pumpkin pie. Pizza Pie.  Each filled with sugar, fat, salt. I should say “ugh,” but I can’t honestly express this as I enjoyed each serving.

It is bedtime, and I don’t want another slice of any kind of pie for a long time—.... Too much of anything is not good.

Too much water, too much food, too much work-- too much fun is even tiresome.

There is only one thing you cannot have too much of: God’s love.

Psalm 136:26 reads, “Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

Ask for it. Then, ask for more. …. Because…

“We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19

 

Bucket List

My husband and I recently completed a National Parks Tour. Riding on a bus with 40 strangers on a 3000 mile trip has its ups and downs. Viewing the depths of the Grand Canyon, looking up the heights of Zion, peering at Lake Tahoe's deep blue, viewing the falls of Yosemite, and finishing the trip with curiosity-- how could anything live in Death Valley? Those were the "ups."

Lake Tahoe

The "downs"? You can't travel with 40 strangers in an enclosed bus for fourteen days and not have someone get sick, or impatient, or frustrated. However, as we got to know each other, we discovered  fun, joy, or something charming in each person.

Before the end of the trip, most wanted to exchange emails and addresses so that pictures and experiences could be shared.

We can check off "National Parks Tour" from our bucket list. But, I'm going to add something: take more time to get to know others.

The Bible is all about relationships, connections--God's love for us; His desire for us to love and care for others. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 tells us, Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing. and Galatians 6:10, So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people... 

No "checking off" needed for this item on my bucket list.

Pot Luck: Friends and Food

I’m not sure the younger generation is even familiar with the term, "pot-luck.”  We don’t do a lot of it anymore; it’s easier to eat-out, order-in, or pull something prepared from the freezer.

I googled the term to read, ...a situation in which one must take a chance that whatever is available will prove to be good or acceptable.  Also—a meal or party to which each of the guests contribute a dish.

Note the blessing of a double-yoke egg...

Recently, I experienced a spontaneous pot-luck that was one of the most enjoyable and healthiest meals I’ve eaten in some time. A friend emailed with, “Come to my house, bring what you have, we’ll do potluck.”

I went to the refrigerator and pulled out a peach and tomato. I tossed together some kale, onion, cranberries, and nuts for a salad. I arrived at her house with my goodies. She provided a salad blessed with hard-boiled eggs and other veggies, cottage cheese, warm sweet potato, a sliver of salmon, and warm, mixed vegetables. A few pretzels added crunch and a little salt.

Her friend from another state and a long-ago time joined us. We ate, commented on the freshness of the food, spoke of connections and memories. Yes, whatever was available (including companionship and food) was good and acceptable. We felt blessed.

One of us commented, “eating out is over-rated.” That day, eating-in and pot-lucking was a joy. Most of the time, it seems that it is the simple things in life that bring us the most joy.

 

Bucket List

When one thinks of a “bucket list,” a person might consider a special trip or cruise, a new experience (like zip-lining), or an opportunity to meet someone special (a movie star, a professional athlete, or someone from your past).

Old and very worn shirt...

My bucket list is in my head and may change from week to week. However, one of the things on the list included designing a top that was similar to one of my oh-so-favorites tops—which is now only wearable when doing garden or yard work.

Because I hated to give it up and because I could not find anything like it to replace it, I bought some material and drew up a pattern using my old shirt. I could not find any similar material, so bought something completely different in colors I liked (earth-tones). I like the longer tops with flared bottoms now in style, so I dug out shear curtain material from my sewing chest with intentions of making the bottom part of my shirt into something “fun.”

Today, I checked this project off my bucket list. Am I proud of it? No. It will hang in my closet; I may never wear it. If I do wear it, I expect the best compliment I will receive is, “Interesting…” My husband will look at me and since we’ve been married for over 45 years, I will read his mind when it says, “You’re not wearing that are you?”

New but wearable?

I think I’ll wear it to my writer’s group. They already know I’m a little peculiar.

When searching the internet on “bucket lists,” I found The Christian Bucket List: 50 Things To Do Before Heaven, by Joe McKeever. Big items on the list included: visit the Holy Land, memorize an entire chapter of the Bible. Some of the easier-to-do items included: join a choir, learn to pray better, become a person of good humor and frequent laughter, find someone from your past and apologize, tell everyone you love that you love them, plant some flowers or a tree, get saved.

 

Most of these things are simpler than designing and putting together a shirt. I’d speculate that I will also get a lot more personal satisfaction from any one of them.

 

What is Your Treasure?

 If you're like me and if you're reading "Inspirational Thoughts and More...," I know a little bit about you. So, I'm guessing that when I ask, "What is your treasure?" your answer will be "my family." You may even say it more than once, "My family, my family, of course."

 

Even though some of us may love bling, or the real thing--gold and silver. Even though some of us collect antiques and have family pieces that are real treasurers. Even though some of us have jobs or volunteer work that give us purpose and support...
 

 

 

... our heart-felt response to the question,

what is your treasure?

will involve people--

a spouse, your children, your grandchildren,

or those very special forever friends

in your life.



My family, my treasure.....
 

 After all,they give us joy (usually),

they are important to us,

we value them...

in fact, we LOVE them.

 

However, for the purpose of this blog, let's consider the further meaning of treasure--something valuable that is hidden or kept in a safe place--and it's verb form: to collect and store up for future use...to hold or keep as precious...

 

 

Is it possible that the something you cherish is your pain, your resentment, the bad things in your life? Do you think of it while lying sleepless at night? Do you think of it during the quiet times of your day? And when life goes awry, do you store it with the other treasure for possible future use? Is it precious to you because someone injured you and you don't want to let it go? Is it something that brings shame--something sin sick--and so you hide it away?

 

 

You cherish this

because it is yours

and giving it away might mean

that you lose a piece of yourself,

a piece that has become a part of who you are.

 

Matthew 6: 21 reads...

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 

Is this where you really want

your heart to be?

 



Somewhat scary? . . .

 Philippians 4: 8   ....

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

 Jesus said,

The good man out of the good treasure of his heart

brings out that which is good...

Is your "treasure" honoring the God of the universe?
How about filling your "treasure box" with the fruits of the Spirit?

Something to think about!