Daily Life

May 1, 2020

Reflections on Ice Cream

ice cream_strawberries_by kalhh_Pixabay

        • Trying new things enriches life
        • Take time to enjoy each taste
        • Begin any task with your best ingredients
        • The right combinations make all the difference
        • Transformations can bring much good
        • Sweetened words diffuse tension
        • Pain and grief may hide behind a cold facade
        • Kind acts and a loving presence can bring healing
        • Cool refreshment eases stress
        • An emptied bowl tells of a meal provided
        • Don’t forget the toppings
        • We look forward to the arrival of the Ice Cream Truck


from “Reflections from the Everyday” caallen

April 11, 2020

Message of Light

sunrise and dark trees ground_spot edited out

Please leave a message… Message me… Our phone rings or lights up; our computer chimes. Flash, blink, music, or buzz.

In our world today, messages have never been easier to send, or to receive. Text messages, emails, and audio-video chats and messages are now the norm for communication. The word “message” itself has become a common verb.

Many of us battle overflowing emails addresses or have given up to overwhelm… either watching them pile up or deleting all indiscriminately. The deluge of information, requests, and offers may lead to “brain freeze” when it comes to discerning what is needed, important, or positive.

So, when we come to those times when our world slows or stills, that spinning churning chaos which has become such a part of our daily lives may need time to slow as well! It’s like stepping into a brightly lit room from a darkened hallway. We blink, breath, and refocus. Our brains gain time and space for deeper reflection.

Whether a slow down time or a shift in normal routine is a result of conscious decision or thrust upon us unexpectedly, it presents a good opportunity. I am thankful for moments where I am able to better see and to receive the positive. Despite the stresses around me, it is like a pocket of calm in the tumble of activity.

I am reminded of Paul in the book of Acts as he stood before King Agrippa. He shared his story of meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus and reminded Agrippa of the words of the prophets and Moses, that the Messiah would suffer, would rise from the dead, and would bring the message of light to all people. * What a gift that message of light is! Just as we enter into a brightly lit room and pause to blink and refocus in order to better see what that light reveals around us… so do our times of reflection and thought allow us to settle closer to God, to receive His reassurance, presence, and peace… and to think of the great price He paid for it and the great love He has for us.

The people living in darkness have seen a great light! **

My prayer for us this week is that we would draw close to God, take notice of that incoming message of light, and be strengthened and comforted to meet the days ahead.

 

*Acts 26:22-23, **Matthew 4:15-16, Isaiah 9:2

April 4, 2020

Reflections on Toilet Paper

toilet paper rolls_pexels-photo-3963085_Vie Studio_Pexels_cropped

• Cherish the moments you have each day
• Unfulfilled need is a deep distress
• We need each other to clean up messes
• Soft and comforting words bring relief
• Absorb the good qualities of others in your life
• Consider the commonplace to gain appreciation
• Recognize what is important before it is gone
• Knowing we are useful gives us confidence
• Extend your vision and respect each other
• Inner quality brings joy and contentment
• Chewing on worries only creates new worries
• Look to the Maker and know He is close at hand

March 14, 2020

Flash! Crackle! Boom! Crash!

lightning-1056419_1280 WikimediaImages from Pixabay _cropped

The child that was me clutched the covers tightly around her shoulders, her frightened eyes wide in the night. The summer storm roared in as rain pounded the metal roof above her head. Wind rattled the tree limbs outside and buffeted the house.

Sizzle! Bang!

Springing from her bed, she raced to the top of the stairs, calling, “Daddy! Daddy!” … and she heard his reassuring voice above the sound of the tempest outside. His footsteps sounded on the stairs and then he was beside her, comforting her.

… I well remember that long-ago night. Staying with me until the storm passed, calming and reassuring me, my father’s presence brought safety and security. The rumbles of thunder slowly grew distant and the flashes of lightning gradually ceased.

There have been many more storms since then, storms of life, tempest tossed. The faith that was instilled in me as a child revealed our Father God, though sometimes the pounding storms distracted me. The dark has a way of intensifying things doesn’t it? Where is hope in the middle of our storms?! It is difficult to hear God’s voice above stress and pain and His footsteps have gone unnoticed or forgotten.

A browned, slightly wrinkled piece of paper is a remnant of one of those stormy seasons of my life. It reads, “He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still” (Psalm 107:29). Posted in my kitchen all these years, it is still a daily reminder that God is always with me, reassuring me and calming the storms.

Even after my father returned to his own room, his presence lingered in my mind. I knew that he was close by. I knew that he loved me, demonstrated by sacrificing his own sleep even though he was exhausted after a long day of work. My family was around me and we had survived the storm together!

Psalm 107 says so much about the storms of life. Wandering in the desert, hungry and thirsty, trouble, and darkness… We encounter and struggle with all of these. In times of distress, we can have hope and reassurance that we don’t face that alone. God delivers us. He brings us through, and His love is steadfast. I’m so thankful for that!

Just as the child that was me heaved a sigh of peace and drifted off to sleep, so can we all rest secure in God’s presence. He holds life in His hands and He’s always close by.

“He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed” … a reminder and a promise for us all. “Peace, be still!” *

*Psalm 107, Mark 4:39

March 6, 2020

Reflections on Mountains

great-smokey-mountains-Mark Schaefer_Pixabay

• Companionship helps us through the darkest valley
• Life is made up of rolling hills and craggy peaks
• Sometimes the way is sharp and clear
• Other times the path is dim and misty
• Rising peaks can lift the spirits
• Between the mountains there is shelter
• The folds of compassion are places of healing
• Quiet coves bring refreshment and peace
• Obstacles arise under pressure and stress
• Daunting tasks can be accomplished one step at a time
• Getting away from the chaos can bring clarity
• Our Creator’s majesty is reflected in His grand creations

February 28, 2020

Lententide

trees sunset Light snow Feb 2020

A hint, a tease
Sparkle of light now lingers
‘Midst winter’s chill
Grows ‘lencten’ time

Our heralds the robins
Passing through
Foretell the coming
Of March’s springtide

Prepare, prepare
In contemplation
Sorrow for wrongs
Renewing of hearts

Chill winds still nip and
In dark nights howl
Where is the light which
Warms life and earth

Now one and two
Slow steps to forty
From ashes and regret
To new life springing forth

Come join that journey
Drawn to the source
In quiet solitude
This Lententide

February 21, 2020

A Bad Rap?

donkey-by Sebastiano Rizzardo_Pixabay

Think now of the mule, the donkey, the goat…
Such creatures as this who bear a great load!

Such poor reputations and so misunderstood
For services provided on a regular basis

Now Jack, now Jenny the sun is well risen…
Come on! You’re well rested! Time for a new day

Let’s go! … Please?!
Hey, wake up! Ah well…

Here Sweetly. You too HeeHaw.
You can join your friends in the cow pasture.

Guard duty today. No, over here…
Ohhh! I’m your friend. Run everyone! Run!

Billy! Where are you going?
Get out of the way! Don’t eat that!

…There we go. All settled now?
All in a day’s work for my unappreciated friends

What’s that? You’re considering getting a camel?
Hey! Watch out! He’ll spit in your eye!