Emotions

For some reason, my emotions have been all over the planet during the past couple of weeks. Some days, especially the wonderfully sunny days that we have recently been blessed with, I feel like I am going to burst with the joy of just being alive. Other days, for no discernible reason, I struggle with a low-grade sense of sadness. It's the randomness of these moods that I find irritating. Sometimes I can make the connection between something that is either happening at work or at home. Sometimes I can't.


I've learned that during these times of fluctuating feelings it is often impossible to acurately articulate what is going on inside of me to other people. And this is frustrating. But I've also learned that there is One who already understands...even more clearly than I do. What a place of comfort and peace I enjoy when I snuggle up to the Father and simply say, "I don't get it, but You do!"


I know that He won't run out of patience with me when I am burdened by an old insecurity that has arisen once again, unsettling my thoughts. He understands the tears that flow when I'm overwhelmed by the daily grind of life. The ebb and flow of my emotions doesn't wear Him down because He knows me inside and out, for better or for worse, and He loves me just the same.


God's love. That's the emotion I need to embrace regardless of what my own fickle feelings are telling me. It never changes and neither does He!

Valentine's Day

Yesterday was Valentine's Day and my husband and I shared it with our dear friends, Paul and Martha. I spent the afternoon preparing a special dinner for the four of us. But before starting the cooking, I dug through closets and drawers to find candles, hearts and anything red that I could use to enhance the Valentine mood. It was fun to really get into the spirit of the day!

A few years ago, Paul and Martha celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary so I felt like we were in the company of true Valentines! As a retired pastors, their lives have been dedicated to loving and serving others, yet their own love story is so sweet. After all those years, their love is still strong, joyous and growing. The verse "And the two shall become one" is flawlessly lived out in their relationship. And it is a joy to witness.

Thank you, Paul and Martha, for making our Valentine's Day so very special!

A Warm Wind Blowing...Instead of My Nose

I stayed home from work today because I still felt awful from this cold. I slept in, watched some TV, ate some chicken noodle soup and dozed off in the recliner a few times. Seems to me that all of that should be enough to ensure that I'll be back on my feet in no time!

While I was lazing around, I was thinking about my recent trip to Hawaii with my sisters. Lots of fun and good memories. Somehow, I'm sure that I would be feeling better if I was back on the beach. I just don't think that a cold can hang on for too long when the trade winds are blowing! But since I'm not likely to find myself back in the Islands anytime soon, I decided that a picture might help! Aloha!

I've Got a Cold

I've got a cold. A nasty, nose-stuffy, eye-watering, explosive-sneezing cold and I hate it. As my friend, Sue, says, I'm a booger-face.

I have just been holding on to trying to get through this week so I can collapse on the weekend. But somehow, the weekends never seem to be all that relaxing. What's the deal with that? I always think that I'm going to sit down and read or bake cookies and it just never happens. This weekend I'll be happy if I can just sit down and breathe!

Oh well, since my mind is a bit foggy, I don't have much else to say. I think I'll go blow my nose now.

Earthquakes, Real and Imagined

Early last Friday morning, as I sat reading my devotions, my house started making some rumbling noises. First, I thought that my husband was getting up a bit earlier than he had planned. Then I realized that, even on his most energetic mornings, he doesn't make that much noise. And then the shaking started...and fortunately, stopped.

An earthquake? I thought so. I turned on the news to see if it was real or if I had just imagined the noise and shaking. After about ten minutes, the news finally reported that we had just had an earthquake. I knew it! Fortunately, no injuries or damages were reported.

The next morning as my husband and I sat drinking our coffee and watching the latest home improvement show, the house started to shake again. Immediately, my husband called up the stairs to our daughter who was visiting, asking if she was okay. She stepped out into the hall with wide eyes as we ascertained that we had just had another earthquake! That made two in two days! A bit unsettling to say the least.

Then, not five minutes later, things started shaking again...this at just about the same time that I realized that my quirky washing machine was trying to spin dry a load of sheets and blankets.

Okay, so maybe there was really only one earthquake! The other two were overreactions to something that seemed like the real thing. Our minds were already set in the earthquake mode so a little bit of rocking and rolling in the laundry room was enough to nearly convince us that we were all gonna die!

We got some good laughs out of that one! But I've been thinking that sometimes I do the same sort of thing in other areas of my life. Something difficult happens. Then something else happens. And before you know it, my life is crashing down around me...at least that is how I perceive it. It's not usually the case. In fact, it rarely is the case. So maybe the next time life seems to be crashing down around me, I should take a couple of deep breaths and go hang out in my laundry room for a few minutes.

Words

For some reason I have been thinking about words today. I can't really say why. I just like words.

For instance, there are some words that I like to say simply because they make me smile. Like bumble bee. Or noodle.

And some words make me feel smart when I use them like ubiquitous and superfluous (yes, I do know what they mean).

Then there are those words that aren't really words at all but have become a permanent part of my vocabulary because of their history. For instance, I sometimes say "fridgerfrader" instead of refrigerator because that was how my nephew said it when he was small. Or I'll say that something is "shribbled up" because that's what would happen to my daughter's fingers when she played in the bath for too long. ( "Look, Mommy, my fingers are all shribbled up!" ) I realize that when I use these words, I probably cancel out any "smart" credits I might have gained from using ubiquitous and superfluous.

I am also drawn to certain phrases. "A steaming mug of coffee" says caffeine and contentment all in one lovely phrase. Or how about "Take an additional 50% of the already discounted price!" You gotta love that one! On a more serious note, I love the line that my son uses as a closing on his emails. He signs off with "In God's Firm Grip." What a perfect reminder that that is exactly where I am 24 hours a day!

Yes, I do love words. Silly, sassy, inspiring. Why don't you try to find some encouraging ones to put up on your fridgerfrader?

Inauguration or Second Coming?

I know that today was an historic day. How can I doubt it since I have been told that over and over again on every television and radio program and newspaper that was produced today. It's historic.

And it's not that I disagree with that assessment, it's just that I'm more inclined to give the credit for this history-making event to the American people rather than to the individual man. I believe that as a nation, we have made progress in opening our hearts and minds to all Americans, regardless of the color of their skin. This has been too long in coming and we're not there yet. But at least it is a start.

But what has bothered me the most about this inauguration is this sense that Barack Obama somehow has all the solutions; that because he is a black man espousing change, he will save our nation from all of its woes. Between the kudos heaped on him by all of Hollywood's celebrities and the liberal press, one would think that "the sun will come out tomorrow," and all will once again be well with the world - at least with our world.

I would like to believe all of this. However, I can't. He is a man - only a man. And regardless of how much he is celebrated and praised, he is mortal like the rest of us. For our nation's sake, I hope that he can make a difference. Our country is flailing in stormy, uncharted waters and we desperately need help.

For me, the question continues to be "Is there help?" Is this just another time of economic turmoil that we can rise above? Or has God begun moving in the direction of His Son's return? Scripture tells us that we will not know the time, but that there will be signs. Are these hard times some of those signs?

If so, Barack Obama is not the man we should be looking to. If so, we should not be celebrating an inauguration as though it were the Second Coming of Christ. Instead, we should be looking - I should be looking - with anticipation to that actual Second Coming and making every effort to share the Gospel with those around us before it is too late.