Solitude

A lack of  contact with people is solitude. One of the effects is freedom--your choices are less likely to be affected by exchanges with others. Creativity and contemplation are possible.

If you were a Black-Friday shopper, you are over-due for a little solitude--crowds, noises, no room for contemplation here.

Entering a sports bar on a Sunday evening, we over-heard conversations, music, and at least fifteen different television sets with various games and sitcoms. One was situated at each booth with several super-large screens placed high on the walls.

In our homes, we have television--some of us, 24/7-- where actors or talk-show participants enjoy interrupting each other. Movies provide action-packed shoot-outs, accidents, and scenes 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 as cubicle offices are lined up for long stretches. Games? Concerts? Does anyone think all this noise is a bit over-done?

When is the last time you heard the gurgle of a brook, the rush of the wind through the trees? Have you recently heard the tick-tock of a clock? If it were quiet enough, could we 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....                  

It Only Takes One....

"They built a siege ramp up to the city... while they were battering the wall to bring it down, a wise woman called . . .

 Listen! Listen! ...

You are trying to destroy a city

that is a mother in Israel. Why ...?  

Due to one woman's wisdom, foresight, and courage, an entire city was spared. She became more than a spectator, stepped forward, and made a plan. We do not know her name, and, yet, her story has been recorded in forever history.

Have a Bible?

Check out the whole story. 
 2 Samuel 20:14-21.

Consider Rahab who hid spies, Ruth who stayed loyal to her mother-in-law, Mary the mother of Jesus, the unknown woman with the alabaster jar who poured perfume on Jesus' head, Dorcas, a disciple, who did good and helped the poor. Lydia, a dealer in purple, known for her hospitality and her belief.

Each of these did not need a following, a group/committee/organization, to do what they felt needed to be done.

How often have I NOT done something because I thought, I am only one. I can not make a difference.

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity,

 but a spirit of power,

of love and of self-discipline.   

 2 Timothy 1:3

 Reach out.
Love God.
Love your fellow man... tis the season...

 It only takes one.

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. I considered that, 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--which brings the total to 14 different food items.

Excessive? 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 to others freely who are in need. .... and always, always give praise and glory to our Creator God, the greatest giver of all times.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Self-Portrait

"The Lutheran Message" is a little magazine published in Woodbury, MN. It is provided free to Lutheran churches throughout the United States. I recently submitted a poem; they accepted it for publication (see page 9) and sent me a check. This is the first time I have been paid for a poem! I was delighted, of course, and want to share the poem with you.... and the glory belongs to God.

Self-Portrait

Falling short,
Breaking hearts,
Switching loyalties,
Agonizing resignation
Written deep inside.
Humanity struggles
Separated from creator.
Try harder!
Perfection?
Not possible,
Until I realize
The priceless gift:
Unconditional love
Through grace.
Self portrait?
Flawed and worthy.

Upside Down?

While in an Einstein's Coffee shop, Houston, TX, I picked up "LIVING," a lightweight magazine with features titled Dying for a New Look, Artist Remakes a Traditional Home . . .,  and Is Bariatric Surgery Right For You? 

In the midst of all these "features," the article Upside Down World appeared with 1 Samuel 16:7--...the Lord doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

This particular article seemed a contradiction to the others...

The writer, Michelle Wallace, expressed that the kingdoms of the world seem to operate in contrast to the kingdom of God. Jesus said the way up is down--to be great, we wash feet; humility lifts us; God graces the humble and opposes the proud.

I gazed out the window: skyscrapers, high-rise condos, specialty shops galore and wondered what God thought when he looked down on all this. Some believe God has a sense of humor. I hope he uses it often.

The Perfect Day

Arising at 5:45, I pull on a pair of sweat pants and shirt, grab a jacket, wheel my bike out of the garage, and head for the street. Above me, the moon is blood-red with a yellow banana snuggled at its side; the stars are close enough to touch. My skin tingles with the touch of early morning air.

After a short-but-sweet mile ride, I head in for oatmeal and salmon and open Beth Moore's Bible study on David. Later, with brownies in the oven and the smell of chocolate drifting about the kitchen, I play a game of pool with my husband, converse lightly over lunch, and then snuggle together while considering a nap.


Regenerated, I swim a half hour with a friend, and, then, head home to prepare grilled hamburgers and mashed potatoes for two energetic grandchildren (and their mother).

Life is good...
all little things, but so much joy.

A cheerful heart is good  medicine,

but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 17:22

Shadows....

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.

Children anticipate Halloween.

On Trick-or-Treat night, shadows lurk everywhere...  Most of them dressed in costumes and carrying candy buckets.  

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.  Checking all the corners and shelves and finding nothing, I re-closed the door tightly so nothing could get out.

I outgrew this ritual--thankfully.

However, shadows of a different nature pursued me as I journeyed life.

worry

doubt

disappointment

sickness

loneliness

resentment

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.

Keep your face always toward the sunshine. . . and shadows will fall behind you.  Walt Whitman

On another day, perhaps a day filled with joy moments, you may think of a shadow as a reflected image or an inseparable companion or follower.

Consider another definition--

   --an area where direct light from a light source can not reach due to obstruction by an object . . . at certain times of day, the lengths of shadows change. 

Can we be the "obstruction" to God's light desiring to shine on  us?  Are there times when we allow our shadows to lengthen? 

It is easy to become so wrapped up in our shadows that we fail to seek God's guidance and therefore miss out on the peace that comes only from God.

I have set before you

life and death,

blessing and curse.

Choose life . . .

and remain faithful

to Him.

Deut. 30:19

Say goodbye to your shadows, 
whatever they may be.

Decide to trust.

Let go and let God.

Dear God,

May I reflect your image.  May I be your inseparable companion and follower.  May I never let the shadows in my life separate me from your grace and eternal promise.  
Amen

After all, the ultimate battle has already been fought and won on that faraway cross at Calvary.  (365 Daily Devotions) 

Wishing you fall joy.