Category: Blog Article

A fence blocked free access to the park, so I stood with my fingers holding the chain links and looked at the scene before me. My heart hurt for multiple reasons as I stood under gray clouds in the cold. The disarray was everywhere. Garbage, stacks of boards, overgrown grass and bushes. Stairs had fallen over and paint was faded. The swings were rusting and sun bleached. The hardest to look at were the empty pools where you could still see the once lovely blue tiles.

Restoration was needed. Sun was essential to light up all the dark places of this park. The pools must be filled again. The children had to come back and run free in this place meant for joy. They needed to swim in rejuvenating waters once more. Laughter had to find its way back to this seemingly forgotten place.

It was time to go and I took one final look at all that was needed. It seemed impossible and only one word would do. Restoration….for that place and for all the seemingly forgotten places.

Leaving my car I took my iPod and journal to walk in the cold. The pond was so still today, there was no wind to ripple the waters. I was reminded of “He leads me beside the still waters” and I began to wonder at the restoration of my soul.

A frustration hindered me that I was not where I had wanted to be yet. I felt blind to see anything but what I was going through in the hour. A temptation came to feel beaten up in my failures. I pulled the iPod out of my pocket and turned up the song I was listening to…”and I’ll wait and be still“…perfect timing. I had to trust the process and understand everything has a purpose and there is a season and time for everything. I was reminded of a promise…..

Phil 1:6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus

I walked alone, wondering about being in the shelter and shadow of wings, when I saw a majestic eagle in my mind’s eye. I stopped walking for a moment and concentrated on this beautiful creature. Such magnificent presence, and I saw real strength in its countenance. I had never noticed the wings before, their power or wingspan. I took a closer look at this bird of prey and saw its head crowned with white feathers; such purity in color.  Out of these white feathers were brilliant eyes not easily distracted; they were focused and clear.

Being curious I looked up websites about eagles and learned they have a wingspan of about eight feet. An amusing note is “eagle-eyed” which refers to their keen eyesight. Their behavior is something interesting. When they mate it’s for life. Their flight displays for courting are as pairs, flying to high altitude, locking feet together, and then tumbling and cart-wheeling toward the ground, breaking off at the last moment.

Can you imagine the excitement of soaring as an eagle in your life? What incredible heights you may reach, but also how far you may tumble in your relationship with the most exciting power and strength you have ever imagined…always safe, so you never hit the ground…all for love.

The jewels in life we are given don’t always seem obvious. When we think about how diamonds are made this is a real lesson in our natural life. A quick look on any geographical page shows us the pressure and temperatures necessary to create a precious rock.

Then again…sometimes jewels just show up when we least expect….and in unexpected ways…reminds me of people I have come to know…

The clouds have been upon us. Looking out of my kitchen window it had been storming all afternoon but I caught a glimpse of blue sky. Being alone, I impulsively turned up my stereo and listened to a song of declaration. It has been sung around the world for decades but not many recognize its truth…..I do….and so I dance in my kitchen, spinning and laughing while I look out the window at the parting clouds to see glimpses of the sun coming….

Daybreak (by Barry Manilow)

I’m singin’ to the world, it’s time we let the spirit come in
Let it come on in
I’m singin’ to the world, everybody’s caught in the spin
Look at where we’ve been
We’ve been runnin’ around, year after year
Blinded with pride, blinded with fear

But it’s daybreak, if you wanna believe
It can be daybreak, ain’t no time to grieve
Said it’s daybreak if you’ll only believe
And let it shine, shine, shine
All around the world (sing it to the world, sing, sing)

Singin’ to the world, what’s the point in puttin’ it down?
There’s so much love to share
I’m singin’ to the world, don’t you see it all comes around?
The feeling’s everywhere
We’ve been closin’ our eyes, day after day
Covered in clouds, losin’ our way

Hey, but it’s daybreak
If you wanna believe, it can be daybreak
Ain’t no time to grieve
Said it’s daybreak, if you’ll only believe
And let it shine, shine, shine
All around the world (gotta sing, sing it to the world)

Isa60:1-3 (TNIV) “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

The windshield cracked, a headlight went out, our signal was getting snowy, bills were keeping finances very tight, a favorite shoe was showing a hole, windows were steaming between panes, the fireplace was smoky, too many light bulbs had burnt out in a couple rooms, the carpet had been chewed through by the dog leaving a fat hole by the door, the roof had leaked over the water heater in the storm, the iron leaked water, the refrigerator didn’t have anything tasty in it, the motion lights had gone black, the lawn needed a rake, a new stain on the driveway meant a repair, the foot hadn’t yet healed from a twist, and the holiday season was already upon us.

These were but a few of the items to fill our list today and in the middle of it all, it was time to stop and be thankful so that’s what we do. We are thankful for the jobs which keep us too busy to tend to all that needs to be done in any given day, week or month. We are thankful for the cars which get us back and forth to our jobs and the other enjoyments we participate in. We are thankful for our precious house which needs upkeep but keeps us warm and dry. We are thankful for the provisions to pay the bills. We are thankful to have a fireplace which heats our homes on those nights we can be home to enjoy it. We are thankful for the ragged carpet which is soft beneath our feet and the list of thanks goes on far longer than our needs.

For every uncomfortable situation before us, there is a reason for us to draw our minds to appreciation and thankfulness. Sometimes we can’t be grateful for what we have without understanding what it would be like without it.

Looking at the ink bottle on my desk labeled Encre, I wondered how long it had been since I had written with any of my fountain pens or quills. The pigmentation had dropped to the bottom of the glass container leaving the top clear. It was a perfect reminder of silt, that fine sand and earthy matter only moved by running water.

People have a capacity for memories that can be likened to holding ponds. The memories lay still until a storm or inflow of movement stirs them up. To keep a pond healthy there has to be a way to introduce fresh water from a feeding stream or a good rain. Without these resources the pond stagnates, inviting less than desirable mosquitoes and pond scum. The storms that bring fresh water to these ponds also stir up the silt. The water takes on a murky quality for a while but it always passes and the silt is moved along.

I picked up the ink container from my desk to shake it up. Sitting it back down I began to watch and wonder.

Zap! The shock made me jump and shake my hand. “Wow, that got me good” I thought and slammed my door shut. I looked at the scarf I was wearing. Although it may have been keeping me warmer it wasn’t helping me relax much. Everything I touched kept trying to electrocute me. I wondered if this was what a cattle prod might feel like but didn’t dwell on the thought for more than a second because my time was valuable.

I hadn’t been home in a couple days other than to visit my pillow for a brief stint and my refrigerator was quite barren. It lacked even the bare minimum of soda for the hubby or fresh coffee beans for myself. Caffeine lack could lead to issues in our household so this was not a neglect I could afford.

I maneuvered my cart down the aisles of the store as though I was some Nascar amateur, barely missing the slow movers and even cutting off the lethargic teen who meandered one step too slow, beating him to the express lane. I’m pretty sure it was his jeans worn down around his thighs and not on his waist, which hindered his ability to walk normal.

In all my distraction and hurry however, I saw no one who smiled nor acted pleasant. My checkout clerk even gifted me with an extra snide comment when I asked her a question. Listening to Christmas music playing throughout the store and seeing evergreen trees stacked out front had given me an expectation for seasonal cheer, but this was more like the Ebenezer Scrooge experience. Time to bring my own cheer to the season rather than expect it from my surroundings.

The space just wasn’t big enough for my head! Ever felt that way? I’m not talking about an ego thing. Merely the spaciousness of a really large mental table to put all your thoughts out before you, so you can examine them in depth. You know…throw the frivolous thoughts into the trash and try to piece together the jigsaw puzzle so you could see the actual picture with clarity. That precious picture you know you carry in your head. You could see it if you only had the room to look at all the pieces at once. You know your destiny is in that puzzle and you are so curious to see what it really looks like upon completion. It’s your vision, given only to you. A private thing really, but a precious thing.

Proverbs 29:18a (TWB) Where there is no vision, the people perish

“Let me know the wonder of all of you” rolled out of my speakers. I had to walk away but the echo stayed with me. So many relationships of friends, family and possible love interests came to mind. Had I found the wonder of them or did I grow tired of the chase?

What does it take to captivate us when the newness wears off? When the day to day reality becomes common? We are so fickle in our attention span and yet we desire so much more. I think the key in any relationship is to avoid “common”. When we approach things without anticipation or excitement it’s impossible to desire the more that’s available to us. Our relationships should be the most precious thing on earth and yet we rarely invest into them with the same passion we long to take from them.

“Love is the essential reality and our purpose on earth. To be consciously aware of it, to experience love in ourselves and others, is the meaning of life. Meaning does not lie in things. Meaning lies in us. ”  Marianne Williamson