Chasing Time . . .Again

 

                               Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.

Within! within, oh turn

Thy spirit's eyes, and learn
Thy wandering senses gently to control;
Thy dearest Friend dwells deep within thy soul,
And asks thyself of thee,
That heart, and mind, and sense,

 He may make whole
In perfect harmony.
G. TERSTEEGEN

I have been chasing time for as long as I can remember. I have spent searching for that perfect organizational routine that can make my life go in perfect harmony. Books upon books have been read to no avail. Time has been still elusive in my life, refusing to be tamed.

If you are like me, you are trying to be everything to everyone while trying to achieve all that you can. Are there enough hours in the day for that? Majority of the time the answer is no. We fill our calendars with activity even when we don't have enough hours in one day to accomplish them. We all live with busyness. 

Sooner or later, we will face burn out. I have been there once before and that fact alone, set me off thinking on how to prevent it from happening again. 

Time is very precious to me, especially since my cancer. Since it is so precious that perhaps I need to be very intentional on how I spent it. If I was going to give up something, then I need to make sure that time will be spent well. 

So, what is important to you? Or who is that special someone? When we have to make a decision to prioritize our schedule, it can be very difficult. We enjoy all of it, don't we?

 I thought about what was important to me. Jesus has always been at the top of that list. I could not imagine living life without him. So, I based my schedule around spending time with Him. Prayer time one evening and bible study another. It's funny what we can accomplish when we put our whole being in it. I cherish the time, my alone time with Jesus. There are times where I need to unload a really horrible day and He's there listening.

We seem to think that we have to give up things to find a balance in our life. Honestly, we just need to find Him and all the rest will follow. 

Have a blessed day everyone.

A Restorative Year

 

                              Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.

The man who has no refuge in himself, 

who lives, so to speak,

 in his front rooms, 

in the outer whirlwind of things and opinions,

 is not properly a personality at all; ...

 he is one of a crowd.

—Amiel.

As the year comes to a close, I cannot help, but reflect on all the things that were and all the things that could have been.  For my family, It has been a very difficult time that began back in the Fall of 2021. As this past year began to unfold, we as a family, slowly started the process of restorative action. 

Life is full of cause and effect. There are consequences for all our decisions. Sometimes, we make a great decision and reap the harvest from it. Other times, we reap the heavy consequences of those poor decisions. Other way, cause and effect weigh heavily the price of those decisions.

Beginning restoration can be quite tricky. There are things that will never be restored fully no matter how much one may try. One can say all there is to be said. One may do all that one can do. One may repent in every way possible. None of these things matter if these actions are not received by others. Either one is forgiven or one isn't. 

There comes a time where one is faced with a fork in the road. Does one stay still waiting for redemption? For forgiveness? For permission for restoration of one's life? 

When all has been said, tried and done to no avail, one has no choice but to move forward on the path God has placed them on. We all have a purpose given to us by God. Many of us are not aware of what that purpose may be for us to fulfill. All one has to do is ask and God will show you His will for you. Just ask.

The year is almost over, the door closing forever on all that has been. We can look back full of regrets and we should show remorse for those bad decisions. But . . . we should also do our very best to reconcile all that we can by moving forward bettering ourselves and our relationships. Trials can strengthen families or they can rip them apart. We can pick up these broken pieces of a family and put them back together even stronger than ever. For the families that refuse to be restored, well, one can only move forward and do everything possible in bettering ourselves from this experience. 

Life does not stand still. It moves forward, a sea of cause and effect. It's all about what we do with the wave that comes our way. Make it a good one. 

Have a blessed day everyone. 

Life Stood Still

 

                               Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.

Thy kingdom come, with power and grace,

To every heart of man;
Thy peace, and joy, and righteousness
In all our bosoms reign.
C. WESLEY.

This month has certainly knocked me off balance. Somewhere in my daily life I have picked up a virus bug of sorts that laid me up for days. I haven't been this sick in a very long time. 

Everything was placed on hold. The dishes lay in the sink. The refrigerator remained empty. The laundry piled higher each day. The stack of mail grew taller. The e-mails remained unanswered. Life itself stood still. Christmas just around the corner.

We got up, went to work. Came home and went to bed. This routine was repeated again and again and again. Our daily schedule stood still as we barely functioned from work and back. 

It's amazing how something as small as a virus can set one back, totally humbling us. Nothing else mattered, but getting the necessary rest so we could recover fully. Not even the same things like our crafts or our movies or hobbies could get our attention as before the illness.

Now that recovery is on it's way, one feels quite overwhelmed by all that has been left on the wayside. It seems that we can never get ahead so why even worry about it. One step at a time. One day at a time. Breathe in. Breathe out. When it comes down to it, does it really matter as much as we think? 

I worked for a manager once who only had one piece of paper on his desk at any given moment. His desk was spotless! He believed that we can only devote our fullest attention to one thing at a time. This is very true, especially now, coming out of this sickness. Things can seem so overwhelming if we allow them to be. A house is just a house. It's the people living inside it that bring it to life.

It may take me a minute to get through everything, but it will get done eventually. The people in my life won't always be here for me to enjoy. Nor I for them.

Have a blessed day everyone.

Feeling The Old

 

                              Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey. 

Be quiet, soul:

Why shouldst thou care and sadness borrow,
Why sit in nameless fear and sorrow,
The livelong day?
God will mark out thy path to-morrow
In His best way.
ANON.

We live in a world that has been turned upside these past few years with changes that have crept up unexpectedly. Trying to find some peace, some sanity in all of this conflict can be overwhelming. We are looking for a way to escape the enormity of everyday living. People are seeking radical changes that are way too radical for the likes of me.

I think I have become too old.

Have you ever wanted to just get into your car and escape? It doesn't matter where as long as you can go somewhere free. Free from all the political nonsense. Free from all the division among the people. Free from all the current chaos our Country has been facing. Free from persecution of opinions on all the social media!

Life can become very overwhelming! To the younger generation our views seem outdated and conservative. We live in a time where the experience of the older generation is not appreciated. One has to ask, but has it ever been?

When we are young, we seem to think we have all the answers to the world's problems. Everything appears black and white to our way of thinking. We also quickly learn that because things look simple on paper, it is not so in the real world. Life is not black and white, but many shades in between. Life is navigating through the chaos of right and wrong. There are no easy paths and definitely no easy outs. Decisions are made and consequences are doled out. Life is definitely far from being simple. 

By the time we are in our golden years, we find ourselves feeling beaten down by the world systems. We pick the battles we want to fight, usually the ones we know we can win or the most vital to the moral code we are held accountable to by God.

Yes, folks. I am getting old. Joining a generation of foddy doddy seniors who live in a time long gone. Reminiscing of a time where the truth wasn't so muddled. The world is spinning and we are getting older.

Have a blessed day everyone.

The Coming Of The Fog

 

                                    Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.

We know not what the path may be

As yet by us untrod;
But we can trust our all to Thee,
Our Father and our God.
WM. J. IRON

The weather here has been quite foggy. Here we are in almost the middle of December and no snow in sight. Just fog and nothing, but the fog. It's dark, gloomy and quite depressing.

Driving to work the other day, I realized that I haven't seen the sky nor the sun in over a week. It's funny how we never give things a thought until they are gone. I miss that sun that streams it's rays into my bedroom every morning. I really do. It provides me with the energy I need to get through the day.

Winter has always been a rough time for me. I become lethargic, often opting to sleep in or take naps. My attention span suffers as nothing really appeases the curiosity of a productive mind. I feel as if we are meant to hibernate coming out only in Spring. No, I do not do well in Winter.

So, I find myself plugging away . . . slowly, but steadily. Maneuvering through the fog, desperately trying to find my way out. How much longer? When will the sun appear? These are the questions I ask every day when I venture out.

I look at all the people, running from one place to another. Do they feel the same? Does it seem a dreary time for them as well? Do they feel the pull of Winter?

There are all kinds of moments in our lives that we live through. The seasons come and go right along with them. Some we cherish each second while others we skip through avoiding all the rough edges. Each and everyone of these are vital playing a significant role in the stages of our life. Which one are you in now?

Have a blessed day everyone.

The Wandering Heart

 

                                 Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.

Sweet Patience, come:

Not from a low and earthly source,--
Waiting, till things shall have their course,--
Not as accepting present pain
In hope of some hereafter gain,--
Not in a dull and sullen calm,--
But as a breath of heavenly balm,
Bidding my weary heart submit
To bear whatever God sees fit:
Sweet Patience, come!
HYMNS OF THE CHURCH MILITANT.

Every morning, we get up and face the world. Every morning. 

This past year, it seems my life has become robotic in motion. I get up. I go to work. I go to prayer group or bible study or church. I meet friends or crochet for my ministry or make videos for my YouTube channel. 

I do the exact same things that I have been doing for the last several years and yet . . . there is no satisfaction . . . no fulfillment. Only a longing. Something is missing. That sparkle is gone.

One could almost feel when a change takes place. There is a certain sense of things not quite being the same. A season has passed in one's life where a shift has taken effect and our time here in this space is over. We have done all we came to do here. 

I have always wanted a permanent spot to dwell in, to mingle with for the remainder of my life. I have wandered for many years now, going from place to place, each time thinking it was for the last time. I have envied others who have spent their entire life in one house, one church, one community, one family. 

That's what I want, too.

I have no idea what is coming next. Yet, I know something new is around the corner. A path is forming, a call is being prepared and the obedient servant is waiting to receive it. 

Isaiah 6:8

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

There is much joy out there as well as much pain. Moments are fleeting, but memories stay forever. Our hearts ache for what was, especially when we know deep down inside it might never be again. We feel all that, but we also know that life moves on. We get up every morning.

 We breathe in and out. 

We go out and face the world.

Have a blessed day everyone.