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Treasured Days
Many moments, smiles, tears, laughter and love…the memories of my Mom are strong this evening. I suppose it’s because Mother’s Day is tomorrow. I discovered that I still have text messages from her on my phone. It was a treasured find. Some asked if I was okay – one asked me to call her because she needed a little TLC. How I wish I could hit the “dial” command and hear her voice again. A hug would be awfully nice, too. I’m not maudlin or gloomy right now – merely remembering some lovely times we shared. I also received an amazing photo of my Dad from my cousin this week. It…
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You Go First
There is comfort in following a recognized trail, a familiar road. There is also excitement in forging unchartered paths and getting to experience new things. Both have advantages, don’t they? Think of the comfort of coming up your driveway after a long day. The lights are on inside, beckoning you to go in. You are home, and it feels good. Then, there is your first glimpse of something as spectacular as the Rocky Mountains or a sapphire-blue wave crashing onto the black lava rocks in Hawaii. Some visions etch themselves deeply into our memory because they are new and unfamiliar. I’m sure you have certain recollections of your own. As…
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Unexpected Gifts
Have you ever really had to wait? There are different kinds of waiting, you know. Here are a few off the top of my head… There is the kind of waiting in the “waiting room” of a surgical center to hear the report on the condition of a loved one. This one is grueling! There is the expectation of a grade on a test or an audition. Your heart is pounding, there are shivers coursing over your body as the results are revealed. There are the weeks and months of an expectant mother anticipating the arrival of her newborn. And there is the steady tread of trusting, walking and waiting…
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In the Wind
The wind was whistling in the eaves and howling in the chimney. Frequently the windows rattled and bowed at the onslaught. Although the sky was a stunning blue, the elements sounded as though a terrific storm was underway. It was the sound of war. She bowed her head, praying, knowing that just beyond her eye’s reach, there waged the clash of the ages. For months it had been working up to this. First the fear and panic as the world was told of a pandemic. Next, the lockdowns and financial hardships. Businesses closed. People were let go from their jobs. Prices began a dizzying spiral upward. Food, fuel, staples all…
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Practice Joy
What is it that has your attention – or for that matter, mine? Are your eyes on the difficulties of the day? Worries? Unanswered questions? Hope deferred? Let’s try a new look – let’s deliberately focus on joy. (So much different than simple happiness!) A friend of mine encouraged me today, and it reminded me of this. I remember when I was about 7 years old a toy of mine somehow slipped under the couch in the living room. I reached for it, and as I touched it, it inched even further away, thus, out of my reach. The tips of my fingers could still feel it, but that was…
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Before Dawn
It is quiet this morning, and the birds are singing springtime songs outside my window. They begin before the sun comes up, and it is a welcome sound. The harbinger of a new day. As this Sunday awakens, the jumbled thoughts of the night seem to realign themselves in a more orderly fashion. The uncertainty and worries have been washed away by the light of day. Isn’t it funny how things seem much more manageable after the rising of the sun? It feels as though this week will be significant. Maybe that’s why the hours between midnight and three were so unsettled earlier? Who knows? As I face the coming…
