Holidays

From Beyond Human Eyes…

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Nov. 26, 2016

Good morning, Father.

I know that I am blessed beyond belief, but God how I am missing something that I have taken for me-and-theegranted all of these years. Family.

Not that I had to traverse this holiday alone. That’s not it at all. In fact, I was blessed enough to enjoy a meal and fellowship with my mother, my brother, my daughter, my son-in-law, my sister, my nieces and nephews as well as a many other extended family members.

And while I know that I should have just been thankful for another year with them, it was really very bittersweet.

The loss of my brother, Gary, has forever changed the landscape of my world; much of that change coming from his mere absence. But even more than the empty seat at the dinner table, it’s the realization that there will be more and more empty seats as the years journey on.

Though you already know everything that I am feeling, I feel the need to admit this morning that I am struggling a bit with all the changes, those present and those sure-to-come. I need your help, Father. I need you to help keep me focused on my many blessings, especially each tick of time that I have left with my loved ones. I want to enjoy the holidays and make them worthy of tucking away in my heart to be enjoyed again and again. I want to enjoy You, Dear Lord, and to begin merging back onto the path that You yourself have laid before me. I’ve been sitting on the shoulder far too long and I want nothing more than to resume my journey; to get back to the things for which You have purposed me and to enjoy the journey along the way. I pray these things in your Almighty and Glorious Name, Dear Father. Amen and Ehmen.

 

Dear, Beautiful Child of Mine,

I love you. I know this last year or so has been tough on you, but I am thankful that you have never lost sight of Me or your purpose. I need you to know, dear child, that it is okay to sit on the edge of your path from time to time; to regroup and refresh; to reconnect. This time has not been wasted as you know that I waste nothing.

The key, child, is doing just what you are doing today. Allowing yourself to feel and nurse your humanness as you sit and rest in Me, but at the same time embracing the desire to keep following the path that I have laid before you. Please don’t fear and don’t try to rush it. The time of resuming your journey is near, dear child, and as long as you stay connected to Me, you will always know when and where to take the next step. That’s the beauty of My plan, child. You don’t have to know anything. You simply have to know Me.

Yes, life is changing, my dear one, but, when looked at from beyond human eyes, it is changing for the better. Every day that you draw breathe brings you closer and closer to spending eternity with Me. And, though I know you will always miss those that have drawn their last, take joy in knowing that those who have accepted Me and completed their earthly journey are now enjoying eternity with Me. The purpose for all of my children on earth is to make sure every living, breathing person in all creation has that same opportunity.

“For God so loved the world, He gave His one and only Son so that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.”

The Tree That Couldn’t Leave…

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christmas tree art

I’m always reluctant to take down my Christmas tree. Needle-less to say, there have been some years where I could practically vacuum it up. I seem to be heading that way again this year.

I just love the smell and the twinkling lights; not to mention the ornaments that tell the story of a half a century of Christmas’ past. I love the angel that stands guard atop the tree and the faded, but jolly old Santa that has been the first ornament on the tree every year since I was old enough to help decorate. I love the color and the vibrancy.

But, most of all, I love what the tree stands for; the season that it celebrates. Sometimes I imagine that on that night over 2,000 years ago when God sent his own son into this world as a tiny little baby, that the stars fell from the heavens just so they could be closer to Him. Like snowflakes, they fell gently upon the trees, lighting each branch in love, awe and celebration.

Yes, I sure wish I could just leave it up all year; but I know that eventually, it will have to come down. Today is not that day, however. And, for that reason, I can’t help but smile. Merry Christmas to all and to all a happy and healthy 2016!

 

Enough is Enough…

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 I know I have been a little quieter than usual this past little while. Truth is, there has been so much noise around me that I haven’t wanted to create any more, whether good, bad or indifferent.

Death and its silent, but deafening roar has pervaded my life. Family. Friends. Clients. Co-Workers. Illness and issues of health have taken up residence in the lives of many who I know and love, including myself.

Work stress has hit crescendos that I never knew even existed. Friends and loved ones have needed support, and even though I have tried, there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day or strength in my spirit and body. Add to that, that all of this comes during a time when I desperately want to spend time celebrating birthdays, holidays and, above all, the fast approaching nuptials of my beautiful little girl.

Truth be told, I have just been trying to make it from one day to the next; putting one foot in front of the other; reminding myself to breath; reminding myself that God is there, even though I might not think I have the strength or energy to tune into His Presence. And, this week, on my birthday, after receiving the early morning news that my dear friend and co-worker had passed away unexpectedly in his sleep, I finally hit the breaking point.

Metaphorically standing on a ledge and physically driving to work, I turned down the voice on my radio so that I could lift my own to the Heavens. The decibels increased with each syllable to the point that I practically screamed these words into the universe: “God, enough is enough!”

But, before I could even start the rant that was building up in my heart, I received a resounding reply that permeated my spirit. I heard these correcting, yet oh so loving words: “My child, I say when enough is enough, and I Am always enough.”

Sigh. I KNOW this, but, like everyone else, I so often let the heaviness of life smother me and blind me to the fact that God is always, in all ways, involved in our lives. He doesn’t cause the bad stuff, but He is there all through it—walking right beside us, crying with us and loving us; all the while directing our steps and using it all for our own good and for His own Glory. Sometimes we just have to adjust our perspective.

Thank you, Lord, for the reminder, that these storms of late were not planted to disrupt the joyous days of holidays and a very special wedding, but, instead, the joyous days of holidays and a very special wedding were predestined and crafted by You to infuse the dark days with light and love.

Thank you, Lord, for reminding me that You are ALWAYS enough. That there is no one nor anything greater than You and that You and You alone hold everything, every matter, every situation and every person in the palm of Your beautiful, merciful and capable hands.

Please forgive me for letting the storms of life take my eyes off of You, but THANK YOU for always being there to pull me up out of the raging seas. Many years ago, I entrusted my life to you and throughout the years I have re-dedicated it to You over and over again. And, though I am quite sure that You will have to remind me that You are enough again in my life, today, in this moment, I re-dedicate myself—every fiber of my being; my past, my present and my future—to You. Continue to teach me and use me, my dear Lord.

And thank you for all the blessings that are flowing all throughout my life; thank you for the tinkling silver bells that remind me of Christmas and the celebration of Your Son’s birth and for the not-so-distant sound of wedding bells that will ring in new love and new life for our precious daughter, Billie Girl, and son, Billy Boy. On with the celebrations!

Amen and Ehmen.

He is Enough Artwork

 

Holidays Forever Changed

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It was this time last year that my brother had started showing slight signs of illness. It wasn’t anything drastic, but by Christmas that all had changed.

Standing in the kitchen on Christmas morning, the words falling from my sister-in-law’s lips left me dazed and confused. Out of left field came the news that my brother was gravely ill.

But not even the warning just minutes before could prepare me for actually seeing him. He didn’t look like my brother at all. Always the picture of health and happiness, his face was sunken and his neck collapsed. He shuffled like a man twenty years his senior. I simply couldn’t understand how he could have changed so much since Thanksgiving. I found it hard to make eye contact with him, afraid that I’d spontaneously combust into an emotional inferno, or worse yet, that my shock would hurt his feelings.

We didn’t talk of his condition or appearance other than him letting everyone know that we all needed to make sure our wills were done. He left and—with his loving finance’, Karen, and devoted brother Stan by his side—he went through all the medical testing and processes to get himself on the liver transplant list. He followed the rules, at least for the most part, and we all dreamed of the day he would get his new lease on life.

That day never came, at least not in an earthly sense, and just as quickly as he had fallen ill, he was gone. This will be our first Thanksgiving and Christmas without him and, though I know that he would want us to still gather, laugh and love, it will simply never be the same. Thanksgiving and Christmas are forever changed. We miss you, Gary.

 

gary lake posted by friend after memorial

Gary’s Song

Though we know you are just beyond heaven’s door

In a place we, too, will one day live forever more

There is still an emptiness beginning to swell

In the place where love once lived and dwelled

So, today, we ask you Father to close the gap

To take us and hold us tight in your lap

To give us the strength to make this story

One that gives us peace and you all Glory.

–B. Gibson–Amen and Ehmen

 

Leaving a Blessing

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As the temperatures cool and the world sports the colors of the Thanksgiving season, it’s always nice to take pause and thank God for our many blessings. And there is so very much to be thankful for. Leaves, for example. Starting as a tiny bud, new leaves spring forth around Easter time each year, literally breathing life into the world, not only preserving our very existence, but also providing us shade along the way. Indeed, every single leaf has an important, life-giving, life-preserving job. Perhaps that is why God gives them such a beautiful and colorful exit every fall. This year, as the leaves around you burst into an array of breath-taking colors, take a moment to thank God for them. And as they take their final bows, falling from the trees carried by the gentle winds of November, send up a bountiful round of applause straight from earth’s stage to Heaven’s ears.