Joy in the Morning

Saturday May 17, 2014

“Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones, And give thanks to His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.” Psalms 34:4,5

I woke up happy this morning, peaceful, content. And strangely enough, I had no desire whatever to have coffee. I’m not sure which was more unusual, being happy or not wanting my morning coffee. Odd, how life is made up of so many experiences we weigh and wonder about. I enjoyed the moment. My bedroom faces a large ravine, with huge cedar, fir trees and an errant vine maple or two. The ravine is steep, now covered with spring woodland green, bracken and sword ferns, and other lush, green plants. At the bottom is a creek. In the winters, this is a roaring, wild small river, pulsing with life and power. Now, after a hot dry week, it is a soft, gurgling trail of sparkling water making its way down the forest valley where it will ultimately blend its waters with the mighty Columbia River.

          This morning, the creeks pleasant sounds along with the songs of dozens of different birds singing their morning’s blessings are my companions as I take out my Bible and devotionals to center my thoughts for the day. I have been reading through the Bible this year, and the last week or so I've been in Jeremiah in the Old Testament.  Admittedly some days I struggle to relate to the story; a mixture of warnings, messages, wars and conquests. I continue to read. I’m guessing it’s kind of like taking vitamins. I’m still old school and am downing the unpleasant pill form. They taste horrible for sure. But, I know they are doing good as my incredibly good health continues except for maybe a day or two a year when I’m not so good.

          I’m not meaning to say parts of the Bible taste horrible, but sometimes from the perspective of a 2014 working woman I struggle to relate to some of the parts. But I continue. My devotionals continue to be warm friends as their short messages encourage me to continue, to be strong, and to persevere.

          So, within the quiet space of my living room I continue to enjoy the sounds of birds as I type. In the oven, a batch of cinnamon rolls bake. Outside my window, several of my rose bushes are blooming and it’s a rare morning of absolute peace. Two of the devotionals today talked about having quiet moments where you recharge for the next leg of the journey. Today, that’s my plan. No urgent errands, no must do’s, have to get done. I will gently and quietly do those things I want to do. Like making cinnamon rolls; washing dishes in hot sudsy water; tackling the laundry, taking joy in folding clean and soft towels. Looking out the windows of my home, I feel some urges to weed a flower bed or two. I have found that it is often the menial tasks of life which bring me the most joy. The everydayness of things that are comforting in their sameness; their easy to see results satisfyingly stretched out without any complications. A whiff of hot cinnamon rolls wafts into the living room, I suppose I should go check them.

          I enjoy a cinnamon roll, savoring the taste of the hot home-made bread and rich cinnamon spice. The sun, poking its warm, yellow face between drifting banks of clouds bathes my yard in its glow. I am so fortunate to live in a home with big windows and views of skies and trees. Thank you God

          Recently, I have stepped up my efforts to pray for the people who have hurt me. To ask God to help them, to lead them, to call them to Himself. Slowly, the pain of their actions is leaving my heart and soul. God is, “taking the sting” out of the memories. I see some of these people in my everyday life and the memories aren't gone, (the harsh words, the criticisms, the broken promises etc.) but I am seeing more of the dark circles under some eyes; the worry lines on faces, the sounds of stress in their voices. I believe as I submit my right to myself to have the hurt feelings, to keep the resentments, that God is healing the effects of their actions in my life.

          In the job I have, I spend hours daily talking to people, listening to people. Most of these people are teenagers. They share about their lives; abandonment, abuse, neglect, confusion, pain, suffering, addiction. I try to help steer them in the right direction; to encourage them to seek their connection with their Higher Power. To connect with resources in the community to help them sort out their lives. Sometimes, they shut down, maybe even swear. For so many, being willing to seek a High Power (God) after all they've experienced in life seems ludicrous to them. So many unanswered questions of, “Why did my parents have to be drug addicts?” “Why did they have to put me through so much pain and suffering?” “If God loves me why on earth would He allow all this horrible stuff to happen?”

          The kids don’t always verbalize these sentiments, but they lay hidden behind their masks of, “cool”, “tough”, “I’ll do what I want.”  I continue to try to be kind. To offer a listening ear, information, and an opportunity to seek a different way of life if they want it. 

          For me, now, I am so fortunate, thank you God. Clouds are covering the sun again and the wind is picking up but it’s o.k. My mood is not dependent on the weather. My happiness is not dependent on circumstances. My hope is in the Lord.

          

To all of you wherever you are, 

take hope, seek God, 

and joy in believing 

in time -

 you will have joy in the morning.

         

          

Saturday May 17, 2014

“Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones, And give thanks to His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.” Psalms 34:4,5

I woke up happy this morning, peaceful, content. And strangely enough, I had no desire whatever to have coffee. I’m not sure which was more unusual, being happy or not wanting my morning coffee. Odd, how life is made up of so many experiences we weigh and wonder about. I enjoyed the moment. My bedroom faces a large ravine, with huge cedar, fir trees and an errant vine maple or two. The ravine is steep, now covered with spring woodland green, bracken and sword ferns, and other lush, green plants. At the bottom is a creek. In the winters, this is a roaring, wild small river, pulsing with life and power. Now, after a hot dry week, it is a soft, gurgling trail of sparkling water making its way down the forest valley where it will ultimately blend its waters with the mighty Columbia River.

          This morning, the creeks pleasant sounds along with the songs of dozens of different birds singing their morning’s blessings are my companions as I take out my Bible and devotionals to center my thoughts for the day. I have been reading through the Bible this year, and the last week or so I’ve been in Jerimiah in the Old Testament.  Admittedly some days I struggle to relate to story, a mixture of warnings, messages, wars and conquests. I continue to read. I’m guessing it’s kind of like taking vitamins. I’m still old school and am downing the unpleasant pill form. They taste horrible for sure. But, I know they are doing good as my incredibly good health continues except for maybe a day or two a year when I’m not so good.

          I’m not meaning to say parts of the Bible taste horrible, but sometimes from the perspective of a 2014 working woman I struggle to relate to some of the parts. But I continue. My devotionals continue to be warm friends as their short messages encourage me to continue, to be strong, and to persevere.

          So, within the quiet space of my living room I continue to enjoy the sounds of birds as I type. In the oven, a batch of cinnamon rolls bake. Outside my window, several of my rose bushes are blooming and it’s a rare morning of absolute peace. Two of the devotionals today talked about having quiet moments where you recharge for the next leg of the journey. Today, that’s my plan. No urgent errands, no must do’s, have to get dons. I will gently and quietly do those things I want to do. Like making cinnamon rolls; washing dishes in hot sudsy water; tackling the laundry, taking joy in folding clean, and soft towels. Looking out the windows of my home, I feel some urges to weed a flower bed or two. I have found that it is often the menial tasks of life which bring me the most joy. The everyday-ness of things comforting in their sameness; their easy to see results satisfyingly stretched out without any complications. A whiff of hot cinnamon rolls wafts into the living room, I suppose I should go check them.

          I enjoy a cinnamon roll, savoring the taste of the hot home-made bread and rich cinnamon spice. The sun, poking its warm, yellow face between drifting banks of clouds bathes my yard in its glow. I am so fortunate to live in a home with big windows and views of skies and trees. Thank you God

          Recently, I have stepped up my efforts to pray for the people who have hurt me. To ask God to help them, to lead them, to call them to Himself. Slowly, the pain of their actions is leaving my heart and soul. God is, “taking the sting” out of the memories. I see some of these people in my everyday life and the memories aren’t gone, (the harsh words, the criticism, the broken promises etc.) but I am seeing more of the dark circles under some eyes; the worry lines on faces, the sounds of stress in their voices. I believe as I submit my right to myself to have the hurt feelings, to keep the resentments, the God is healing the effects of their actions in my life.

          In the job I have, I spend hours daily talking to people, listening to people. Most of these people are teenagers. They share about their lives; abandonment, abuse, neglect, confusion, pain, suffering, addiction. I try to help steer them in the right direction; to encourage them to seek their connection with their Higher Power. To connect with resources in the community to help them sort out their lives. Sometimes, they shut down, maybe even swear. For so many, being willing to seek a High Power (God) after all they’ve experienced in life seems ludicrous to them. So many unanswered questions of, “Why did my parents have to be drug addicts?” “Why did they have to put me through so much pain and suffering?” “If God loves me why on earth would He allow all this horrible stuff to happen?”

          The kids don’t always verbalize these sentiments, but they lay hidden behind their masks of, “cool”, “tough”, “I’ll do what I want.”  I continue to try to be kind. To offer a listening ear, information, and an opportunity to seek a different way of life if they want it. My boss tells us, “Don’t get discouraged at the ones who go back out, (into drugs etc.)  Realize that you are planting seeds. Those seeds may lay dormant for a long while but they are there.”

          For me, now, I am so fortunate, thank you God. Clouds are covering the sun again and the wind is picking up but it’s ok. My mood is dependent on the weather. My happiness is not dependent on circumstances. My hope is in the Lord.

          To all of you wherever you are, take hope, seek God, and joy in believing in time you will have joy in the morning.

         

          

On wings of Eagles

They that wait on the Lord, shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31

          A week ago today, the skies were wet, windy and gray. My week had been a tough one. Listening to teenagers talk about their lives -running away from home. Hearing about them using Heroin, Meth and pretty much everything else and seeing their incredibly young faces tears at the linings of my soul. Knowing the tiredness of my spirit, after church we packed a few snacks and took off for the ocean.   

   

          Sixteen miles out of town a patch of blue appeared in the west, maybe just maybe we might see sun at the coast. The closer we drove to the ocean the brighter and sunnier it became. A grandson, enjoying driving the truck, requested that we skip our usual haunts and go South to a beach access.  Taking the turn to the access road the last dune hill revealed a crystal azure ocean set against a brilliant turquoise sky. “How wonderful!” I thought, “We get to have some sun.”

          We drove on the hard packed wet sand for about a mile and up to the right a large bird sat perched on a piling driven into the grass emblazoned dune. As we got closer, how thrilling to see that it was an Eagle, proud, majestic, symbol of strength and power. “Look!” I cried excitedly to my grandson, “An eagle!” He nodded and we continued to drive the brilliant stretch of sand. Here and there, we’d stop and get driftwood, pulling, pushing and tugging it to the truck. For some reason, I had decided I wanted to build a driftwood fence and today seemed an ideal day to begin the project.

          We piled back in the truck and continued to drive. Down the beach we could see a black dot on the right. As we neared, we were astonished to see another bald eagle, this one sitting atop the carcass of a dead seal. The eagle eyed us watchfully as we passed.

          “Cool” both my grandson and I thought, “Two eagles! What a day!”

          Peacefully continuing to meander down the sunny beach we continue to stop here and there on our driftwood hunt.  Any unusual objects were explored for possible treasure. Who knows if we could be the lucky ones?

          We tried to see the wreck of Peter Iredale down the coast but were still too far away, we continued our trek.  Ahead, large birds circled the dunes. “Look!” I cried, “Those must be crows! They are so huge!”  My grandson answered, “No, I think that must be vultures, they really are huge.”

         We drove closer and imagine our astonishment to find that the birds were Eagles. Diving, swooping, circling. He stopped the truck and I got out, stretching my arms wide to the sky as the birds swooped above. What enormous wind spans they had!  The experience was incredible for me. I had never seen more than two bald eagles at once in my entire 63 years, and here, this day there were so many eagles. We counted, one on the piling, another on the seal, and now, three, four, five, six, yes seven eagles!

          For me, it seemed like an a sign. I have been praying for strength, for renewal and here waiting at the coast to greet me were all these eagles, free, strong, soaring with apparent delight in the currents of the Pacific ocean breeze, feathers glinting in the sun.  It was a once in a lifetime experience. One of those moments you put away and take out and ponder, reliving the beauty and wonder of the moment, savoring its beauty and meaning.

          Yesterday, waiting for family, I ducked into Goodwill. I love digging through the treasures. It is like going to a museum to me, you never know what you are going to find. Digging through the pictures I found a large matted and framed print of an Eagle soaring high above the sea. Beneath the picture were the treasured words,

          They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary.  They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31.

          I bought the picture and lugged it to the car. I will hang it in my home someplace I can see it daily, to remind me that I don’t have to worry, God’s got this. My own strength, my own wisdom is so small. God’s isn’t. I have prayed, I have asked, His promises are true. He will renew my strength.

          Praise God……………….  Someday, there will be joy in My morning!

To all of you out there, take care and take prayer=

 as your doorway to our faithful creator………….. 

When you need to recharge your batteries

April 5, 2014

“Even though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me.”

Psalm 128: 7

        

  This morning, awake before five am, I drink my early morning coffee and think about the day ahead. From the dining room, I catch the sound of my phone, calling out its wake up song. It can’t quite get through the song, but trails off. I dump the contents of my purse out on the dining room table and finally find my phone, warrior of some five years of dutifully waking me up day after day. There is sits, worn, weary and with a low battery alert screen telling me its story of the unfinished song.

          “Oh boy, can I relate to that!” This week back at work it seemed as if the chaos would never end. Staff after staff member shared their stories of being at their ‘wits end.’  Of feeling like they just couldn't take things the way they were for much longer. They needed a respite of some kind, now!   O.K., let’s me real. I don’t think of myself as a miracle worker, far from it. I listen, I try to encourage, I try to steer people in a good direction to go; but, when all is said and done, people will do what they want, wise or unwise.

          People are hurting in my workplace. Life with all its ugliness of sickness, family conflicts, lack of sleep, job pressures, etc is taking its toll of people’s ability to cope. Tempers are flaring; decisions are being made that will create wounds needing to be healed for a long time to come.

          And me?  Where am I in the midst of this? Trying to survive; to be a voice of comfort; to be a voice of peace; to be a light to others to point them to God who is the author of all comfort. Do I do this perfectly? No! Make that a resounding no, but I am trying.

          Part of the problem is, in the middle of the chaos, you have the Clients who need help, support, direction, and guidance. The clients are our primary legal, ethical and moral responsibility. We are there to help them. So who helps the helpers?

          Well, that’s a good question. For me, aware that, just like my little phone, my battery is low, really, really, low; I am making plans to take a mental break. To get away from Dodge as it were and pursue a day spent enjoying nature. Do I have things here at home that need to be done?  Oh yes, lots and lots. Is it important that I take care of myself, yes oh yes.

          Reading through my Bible this year from start to finish, this morning part of my readings were in Psalm 138.  Verse 7, stood out to me this early morning, “Although I am walking in the midst of trouble, You (God) will revive me.”  Truly, at this time of my life, I am walking in the midst of trouble. Believing God, that in the middle of that trouble, He will revive me, gives me hope and encouragement.  Reading the  Gospels, I see that Jesus, went to the hills, went to a garden, went to the dessert, went to the sea. There He prayed, drank in the beauty and peace of nature and refreshed His soul.

        

  Chilly Spring weather and all, God willing the creek don’t rise, I will bundle up later this morning, pack some fruit, veggies and a sandwich and take off. Today, I think I’ll head to the coast; explore the trails, watch the birds, pick up shells and driftwood and just unwind.

The laundry, the dishes and bills will wait, renewing my spirit, my inner battery if you will, that can’t wait.

          And so I’ll hurry up and zip over to my Weight Watchers meeting and see how my week went. I had hoped to ‘stay on program’ 100 %, every day, all the time. Instead, 92% of the time more accurately reflects my level of performance. Hilarious, I’m grading myself; Those of you out there who’ve tried to change pesky habits can relate.

          To each of you, whom perhaps I will never meet, find your own moments of renewal. Seek God, seek peace and refresh for the days ahead. Be blessed, joy will come in the morning. Perhaps on eternities shore.

Ninety days to a more........

Ninety days to a more….. Day 1

Me at Enchanted Forest. 

When I was young, I loved magazines. My mom would buy me new issues of Seventeen and I would pour over the pages; admiring this look or that outfit. She also bought Women’s Day and I would eagerly read every article of 30 days to a more beautiful you; or ooh and ahh over the make-. over pages.

          Frumpy, plain women would emerge as beautiful, sleek, stylish women. Cool hair, cool clothes, cool make-up. Wow! I was impressed. In my teenage, young adult years I would try to do my versions of a “make-over.”  In hindsight I realize I was blessed with good genes and looks and a “fit-over” would have helped immensely.

          So now at 63, what in the world do I call a “me-over?”  Don’t know only know that in the next 90 days I’m going to try to be more health conscious in every way I can. I am somewhat hampered by long work hours, but I’m going to try anyway.

          Bible in hand, I am going to gird up this project with prayers and promises that God can renew my strength with His strength. That he can restore my youth. That I can mount up on wings as Eagles, “run and not be weary, walk and not faint.” Isaiah

          So here I am, looking out on my flowering cherry trees, fog shrouding the hills with a blanket of white. New work week ahead of me. A million details threaten to surround me with their own insistent fog of, “get it done!” but I will continue to seek peace and pursue it.

          Who else wants to join me on my journey for the next 90 days?

          I think I will do some before and after photos; I used to love looking at those.

          I’m sure God has His own before and after photos of us. How glad I am that He sees me through Jesus.

          I’m cold, it’s freezing, will warm weather never come?

          Be blessed and see you tomorrow.

          Joy will come in the morning.

                   Robin