Thoughts of Thanksgiving

Life is swirling, dancing, and flittering all around me.  It leaps, it stills, it rests, and it then it flurries again, in a sometimes maddening, but always beautiful, orchestrated and pre-measured routine.  Sometimes, I just hold my breath, jump on, and live it.  At other times, I take a turn on the assistant conductors stand, and wave my arms around in patterns of conductors joy. And then there are the times of sweet and blessed bliss where I just simply relax, rejoice and rest as it passes all around me.

All of these are different seasons and colors of life.  Each has made an appearance on this weekend of Thanks and Thanksgiving.  On Wednesday as parents arrive from a far journey, I am blessed by hugs of love and excitement to see them again.  They have a few more joyous life lines and maybe some more gray hairs.  And with mom...the eyes are dimming a bit.  Lord, keep her safe.  Hold her tight.  Let her always know and love you, and let her feel safe in your love.  Dad needs a bit of help too Father.  He's trying so hard to live life,  take good care of Mom.  Bless him with extra patience, extra strength and love and wisdom beyond his years.  Wrap your arms around him and love him with your exorbitant and fierce love so that he knows you are always there.  In the dark, in the confusion, shine your Light Father.

The scene changes and in bounce beautiful daughter and handsome son.  Oh Father, what a precious gift to see them again.  Early August is a long time.  With them, life is leaping, twittering, dancing.  Both are weary and need a little time to relax and rest.  What a joy to see them, to hold them, to hear them laugh, and see their eyes dance.  Eyes you have given Father.  And eyes that you shine through.  Father, please bless their studies.  Bless their travels.  Bless their decisions, their relationships, their life choices.  Bless their finals and their grades.  And bring them safely home for Christmas again Lord, so I can snuggle and hold them tight.  You are so good Father.  You have blessed me so richly.

Thursday brought a feast!  With eleven thankful souls gathered round our table Lord, you made my heart swell.  I know that this is a time of living, of soaking in, or memories to cherish.  I look at faces and see life.  Joy.  Excitement.  Expectance.  Blessings.  Memories.  Sweet times.  Thank you Father.  I do not deserve the richness that you continue to heap upon my head.  But Father, it is so good, and so You, and I am so grateful for these times.

Friday Lord.  Oh Friday.  On Friday, after three years, you brought the promise of a new son.  Daughter number two, became engaged to her beloved.  Young love.  Grounded in You.  On Your Word.  On Your Promises.  Lord, they have sought you.  Been obedient to You.  And to her father.  Lord, may you heap blessings upon their heads all of their lives.  May they too experience life to it's fullest, with more blessings than their heart can hold.

On Saturday, precious children sang and practiced lines as a got to stand on the assistant conductors stage Lord.  Father, I know you are in charge.  I rejoice in the fact that they're preparing to tell the story of your birth.  May you be glorified in their lives and in their stories.  That evening, the entire family made an outing to the theater.  As the lights went down, and the actors took the stage, I found myself in tears, as I reflected on the eleven of us, in a row, all enjoying the magic of the excitement of life.  La Chaim!

Precious Son-in-Love and Daughter number One have joined in for almost every step of the dance this weekend.  What true joy to have them here.  To see their strength.  To watch their example.  From drivers, to ping-pong players, to Pictionary Partners, they have been there.  Thank you for these part of their season Lord.  Bless and keep them too Lord.

And then, on Sunday, I got to join in with my family and friends Lord around the alter to worship.  Precious One...You are so good to me.  The afternoon nap was needed Lord.  And the Christmas tree tonight is simply the glittering icing on the cake.

Swirling.  Dancing.  Flittering. Leaping.  Resting.  Flurrying.  Father, give me eyes that ever see You.  That ever seek You.  Give me Your heart Lord.  And thank you for keeping me in the dance.

Bountifully Blessesd

Warmth.  Fullness.  Safety.  Joy.  As I reflect this month on a season of Thanksgiving, and count my many blessings, I am often reminded that I count the big things, and sometimes the little things...but what about the abstract things.  The things that are so extremely important, but that I cannot touch.

If I lived in sections of New York or New Jersey right now, after the recent storm...or Haiti, or Kenya, or Nigeria...those things might seem more real to me.  When I crawl from under the warm covers into my warm house..am I really grateful?  When I eat to my stomach's content, and then put leftovers in my too full refrigerator, do I understand anything about lack of fullness?  When I lock my doors, and go safely to my bed, do I wonder if someone should keep watch over my house tonight?  And if in fact, I did not have these things, or did not feel these things, would I, in the midst of want, find Joy?

I live in the richest nation in the world.  Even if I were the poorest of the poor, I would still be rich in comparison to a large percentage of the world.  Do I understand this though?  I have a house, with working heat.  And the money to keep it working.  I have two pantries, two refrigerators and a freezer.  I lock my doors, pet my dog good night, and trust that police will be on patrol, and all will be well.  I should be rejoicing and full of joy at all of this....  if I lived in New York or New Jersey or any of the third world countries..I would be.

We were without power for three days a few weeks ago.  When it came back on, I was joyful that I could flush the toilets, and turn on the lights and open the refrigerator.  I really savored the hot shower!  And while I was not joy-less without it, I might have begun to get a bit grumpy had the trend continued.

Perhaps, I am not looking for my joy in the right places.  Perhaps, my joy should come from my relationship with my Father.  Perhaps, He gives joy to the people in Haiti, and Nigeria and Kenya.....without flushing toilets...or running water...or power at times.

Scripture tells me that to whom much has been given, much is expected.  I think I can pretty easily say that I fit into the "much has been given" group.  And I'm guessing that you can honestly say that too.  Even if you don't want to.

So, in counting my blessings...perhaps I should look deeper...and up.  Perhaps the fact that my Father delights in me; that He knows every hair on my head; that He has a plan for me that is better than any I could imagine; that He is the Star Maker, and the Life Giver and the Joy Maker...should matter just a little bit more to poor little spoiled and pampered me....

Perhaps...I should count it all Joy....but in a way that is much less tangible and touchable...in a way that requires me to focus on Him and not me.

I have a feeling that when I do, that my joy will abound.  And that it will flow out of my like a well, bubbling over, and blessing others in my pathway.  In fact, I can just about promise it.  Because He promises it.  For me.  And for you.  When we seek Him with all of our heart, soul and mind, then and only then, will we be wildly, immeasurably and abundantly blessed.  That's true Joy.

I'm so glad I'm a daughter of the King.  <3

In the Quiet

The wind whistles around my house, giving it a "whirring" caress.  The family is all off in different directions.  Faithful dog lies beside me, always protecting, always being my companion.  Independent feline lies just above me, on the sofa back, to "be" with me, on her terms.  And I listen.  

All I hear is the sounds of whirling wind, and nothing more.  I know there is snow swirling, because I saw it with my own delighted eyes this afternoon.  But now, in the dark, and the quiet, I am just sitting in my noise-less cocoon.  And thinking.

Father, do I get too busy to listen for you sometimes?  Do I miss what you are trying to say to me because I have more sounds around than necessary?  I know that when I do that, sometimes, I become anxious over things that I have not been called to be anxious over.  But I do it any way.  Sitting here, listening to almost silence, I hear you calling.  I hear you telling me that you have it all under control and that I can rest in you.  Why do I let myself ever get away from that Lord?  Why do I choose my own answers and my own solutions, and all of the clamor that goes with that.

I fear it has to do with my lack of trust in your Lord.  I dread the thought that that is true, but as it tumbles around in my small mind, I see truth in it.  I say I trust in you.  I believe that I trust in you.  But then, when things are broken, I go around, in all of my own power and strength, spinning up whirlwinds of my own, trying to make it all right.

Father, teach me to trust you.  To look for the quiet, and to turn my attentions purely toward you.  Remind me to make the time to focus on you, and you alone.  In the quiet.  In my quiet.  In Your quiet.  Lord, bring me to the Quiet, and meet me there.