Category Archives: Blessings

A Banner Year . .

22 Saturday Apr 2017

Posted by in Beauty, Blessings, God, Hope, Life, Nature, Patience, Seasons, Surprise

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This is truly a banner year for plants blooming! I found two plants in my yard today which haven’t bloomed in a really long time or ever. The joy in seeing something finally blooming which isn’t a common bloomer is significant. It took a patient mind, heart, and soul to wait for those plants to bloom! A gardener has to be patient though, for gardening is rife with uncontrollable uncertainties and living matter, including plants, has plentiful imperfections. The lifespan of plants isn’t really in our control, though we like to think we have a significant part in the health and well-being of our plants! There are weather extremes, irregular rainfall, disease and pest problems to worry about. Each day and every season bring new challenges, especially in a harsh desert environment like this!  

One of those plants blooming this Spring after a long period sans blooms is my Jacaranda tree, which just a few years after planting, suffered from a Winter of several touches of hard frost, requiring that it had to be severely cut back. After a slow, prolonged renewal, that Jacaranda is blooming once again! When I noticed the vibrant purple blooms, I ran outside to get a few photos. It’s been something I waited a long time to see, with hopeful expectancy! And this morning, there they were, glorious purple trumpet-shaped flowers in clusters upon several branches! For me, those blooms were answered prayers! That Jacaranda tree is one of my favorites, and I truly had to endure several years of waiting to see its beauty renewed. My patience was rewarded today for sure.

Another plant which is beginning to bloom today is a variegated Duranta which had never bloomed before. The foliage is stellar, the plant has been thriving and growing like gangbusters, but there were never any blooms prior to now! I’m not sure why this variety has never bloomed before. I have other Durantas which have bloomed every year and even several times a year. But I didn’t mind, as the foliage and shape of the plant have been very pleasing over the years. I almost forgot what the plant’s flowers were supposed to look like. But seeing the buds opening up now, I realize that the flowers of this variety are as special as the unique foliage! The smaller purple flowers on Wisteria-like clumps have white ruffled edges in this cultivar! I am so joyful after years of waiting to finally see this plant fulfilling all the expectations I surely had when I purchased it. 

Earlier this Spring, I wandered around my garden and took photos of whatever was blooming! I did that again today, although a lot of different plants are now showing off instead of the plants which had been a month or so ago. This has been a truly rewarding Spring for beauty, fragrance, and variety in desert gardens so impacted by significant Winter rainfall and now, seasonal warmth. Things are bursting with life and most landscapes around the city, both man-made and natural, are filled with flowers, flowering shrubs, and trees heavy-laden with blooms! It’s absolutely beautiful! Each new day is surprisingly promising for my landscape’s evolving beauty. And I take great joy in witnessing each and every beautiful transformation unfolding, especially those which required a bit of my patience to behold!  

The Weight of All That Love . .

08 Saturday Apr 2017

Posted by in Blessings, Christianity, Easter, Faith, God, Redemption, Resurrection, Sacrifice

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I just saw a really timely movie for this season of Easter. It’s called, “A Case For Christ”, based on a book written by the former atheist, Lee Strobel. I won’t give the plot of the movie away, although the book has been available over many years now and is probably familiar to many of you. It’s basically an accounting of what the title suggests, an investigative reporter’s discovery and evidentiary investigation into the truth about Jesus Christ. Based on leads, evidence and by following the story wherever it takes him, Mr. Strobel endeavors to discover a way to disprove and discredit what is revealed in the New Testament Gospels once and for all! But suffice it to say, it doesn’t go as planned! As a believer, this story of Strobel’s probing investigation is a great reminder of God’s omniscience and the amazing gift of love He gave the world through the birth, life, and crucifixion of Jesus.  

When I was younger and attending church routinely by habit, I understood and processed the events of the life and death of Jesus upon that cross to a limited extent. But it has only been through a process of spiritual growth and a great desire to draw nearer in relationship to Jesus by choice, that I have come to truly appreciate the overwhelming sacrifice that He made! It was something which was often softened and sanitized for the sake of us believers. We knew He went to the cross, but we couldn’t truly grasp what He actually physically endured until recent years when the reality of it all was more truthfully and graphically depicted on movie screens through films such as “The Passion of The Christ” and in this one, by way of explanation. To understand the physical impact of scourging and crucifixion upon human flesh is to realize the tremendous and undeniable sacrifice Christ chose to make for us all! When we really allow ourselves to contemplate that horrific physical suffering which was necessary as a blood atonement for the redemption of sin for all time from all beings, it is truly beyond our scope of thought. Pause and contemplate that unimaginable sacrifice, it will probably make your soft heart ache for the sake of such love!  

And that physical suffering is a great part of the proof which finally converted a reticent and stubborn atheist in Strobel. He had surely grown up hearing a sanitized version of the crucifixion as a child before he chose to avidly deny God’s existence in adulthood. But in its actual detail, beyond horrific to imagine, the physical reality of the crucifixion is the telltale evidence of not only the absolute truth of Jesus’ resurrection but also of God’s infinite love. It is only a Divine being which could possibly overcome death endured upon the cross! For those who still choose to deny it, it is not compelling enough to sway their hearts hardened by disbelief and denial, but for hearts willing to ponder such an unselfish act of love, it is undeniable and indisputable! For believers, who need no additional evidence of the proof of His existence, their faith is enough because God’s love is all they ever needed as proof! Once you know His love within, there is no need to be further convinced of His existence. You know because you know! That love lives within you, changing your heart and life forever! It doesn’t make you perfect, or better than others, it just makes you different from who you were before!

Easter is the day we remember that infinite, defining and amazing gift of God’s love! The day when Christ willingly subjected Himself to ridicule, betrayal, torture, false accusations and ultimately, death upon the cross, is the most meaningful day for believers! It’s proof that God so loved the world, that He was willing to spare us all the relentless condemnation of our sinful nature, of an eternity, spent apart from Him. By sacrificing His one and only beloved Son for our sake, as the Gospels and history recount, God remedied for all time the constant need for us to endeavor to atone for our sin through blood sacrifices. We ourselves could never be good enough to bridge that sinful chasm which separates us from God, we’re always sinful by nature. So Jesus bore the brunt of all our sin for all time, the truly innocent and pure lamb, the blood sacrifice slaughtered for the sake of all of us so that we would no longer be separated from our Father! Jesus is the bridge over the chasm! And my heart aches from the weight of all that love, when I contemplate such a sacrifice for my sake and what it means for my eternity!  

Unwelcome Wind, Refreshing Rain . .

03 Monday Apr 2017

Posted by in Attitude, Blessings, Change, Choices, Joy, Lessons, Positivity

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Just about the time I was going to complain about the winds which had picked up this evening, I noticed the fresh scent of rain in the air wafting in through the open window. I went outside to check, to my own disbelief, it was in fact, raining lightly upon me and all the world around me! Those winds were worthwhile as they surely brought with them those few moments of bliss in the form of a stormy weather cell! And that’s a lesson for life. Often what we endure brings us a reward, a lesson, or some result which is beneficial! Those winds enabled us to have the fresh, clean scent of rain falling. And even though the rain only lasted for a short while, it was delightful!  

In studying life, don’t we often find that what we endure produces some beneficial lesson or experience from which we can gain something positive? Even in the worst case scenario of death, loss, illness or some other tragedy, there are positives hidden amongst the seeming perils, hardships, stones and thorns. We just have to look for the hidden treasure of a benefit to reshape what we perceive as negative into something positive instead! And we can utilize this trick for small difficulties and significant problems equally.

I had started out by being annoyed by the wind picking up, as I had just finished creating two big piles of plant trimmings near the sidewalk out front. We have scheduled uncontained trash pickups every quarter, which enables us to put out plant trimmings as well as a lot of other items which won’t fit in our garbage cans. It’s a benefit our city offers, scheduled by the area of the city in which we live. In my area, we’re preparing for our pickup next week. So I was able to do a lot of Spring yard clean up in anticipation of this particular quarter’s uncontained trash pickup. The piles I made contain mostly pruned branches and assorted cuttings from plants in my yard. There are two piles of limbs, branches, as well as several trash bags filled with leaves. Unfortunately, the wind means my piles might blow around or shift from their present location! So I became a bit agitated at the thought of the mess I might have until I smelled the rain through the breeze that is!  

And now as I’m reflecting upon the change the winds brought, I can even still hear the thunder clapping outside a few hours later! It’s a pleasant surprise from what began first as an annoyance. The wind wasn’t entirely welcome, but along with it, was this storm cell offering up scents, sounds, and a refreshing change! I’ve learned to look for the benefit in things, in even the worst case situations in life. There is always something positive and beneficial to be found in everything, even in tragedy or great sadness or in our problems! It might require significant, heartfelt searching to find that benefit or to see the positive in something seemingly or overwhelmingly negative, but to do so ensures that we’ll have more joy and/or contentment in life! Instead of making ourselves miserable, especially over things we cannot change, we create more joy or at least don’t destroy our existing joy!

The wind was threatening after so much work creating those piles, after all, I worked hard to rake up leaves, bag them, cut branches off trees, then move it and stack it all at that spot in my yard near the street. But without the wind, I wouldn’t have had the rain tonight! So I welcomed the wind because it brought the rain and stormy weather. Often, without the negativity or the pain in life, we wouldn’t know how to truly value the blessings we have! Learning how to see life through rosier lenses is a gift for sure! It just takes looking past what at first seems to be less than rosy, positive or promising! Shift your focus and you’ll see everything differently, from a new perspective.   

Home On Sunday . .

02 Sunday Apr 2017

Posted by in Blessings, Celebration, Christianity, Commitment, Family, Friendliness, God, Joy, Love

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Being missed is a truly special sensation to experience! Last week, I was traveling out-of-state so I missed going to church. I go to the same service at the church of which I am a member every week here in my city unless I am ill or traveling. Otherwise, I am there, in my normal pew every week a few minutes before the service begins. I sit in front of a lovely couple, and behind a row of senior citizens who all live in the same adult community. All around me are familiar and friendly faces, also in their usual seats. It’s a community, our church. We know one another, even if not readily by name so far; we greet one another and keep track of one another. We smile, we hug, we wave, we check in, we weep, we comfort, we console, we encourage, we pray, and we take notice of absences and new attendees. So when entering church today, there were avid greetings and “glad to see you”s. It felt good to be missed last week, to have people who not only noticed my absence but also who welcomed me back!   

A few years ago I was prompted to find a church home. I had wandered about looking for a place in which I could feel welcomed and where I could grow spiritually and deepen my relationship with the Lord. So I decided one Sunday to attend this church as a visitor but never looked elsewhere after that first time! From that first day, I was warmly greeted and people took a genuine interest in me. And so it has been ever since! Every week I am there provides me with what I would appraise as the best moments of my week! I walk through the doors and my spirit is elevated with joy! The Holy Spirit dwells in that building, in all the souls which frequent that church and in the ministry staff which leads us all. It’s an amazing place!

I cannot say if that is the same experience everyone who is a member or visitor has. It is mine, perhaps mine alone, although I sincerely doubt it! I am sure many others must have felt that amazing connection and bonds which develop within the walls of our sanctuary and on the premises.  And those same connecting bonds are also found in other locations where members unite in ministry or just for fun. It’s not just the building, it’s something which lives there within the buildings! It’s a spirit, an in-dwelling, a community with a calling from the Lord. It’s God’s love pouring out in worship, prayer, song, gatherings of all sorts, and through relationships forged often over the entire lifespan of the church!  

All my life I’ve either gone to churches of the same denomination or of other Christian denominations, looking for what I discovered on that fateful Sunday. In all those years prior, I never felt the same sense of what I’ve discovered at this church! I never knew that I had been missing the depth of experience which I’ve found there! I discovered Spirit-led people involved in something meaningful, with purpose and with love. There is love, there is compassion, there are relationships built on God’s love and committed to sharing it with others! When anyone is hurting, there are others who enfold them with love and take a share of the burden. When someone needs counsel, there are people trained to help advise and guide. When prayer is needed, there are hundreds of prayer warriors who lift those souls and prayers to the Lord. When the community needs support, there are plentiful hands to help, to give, to provide and to offer. The Spirit leads and by Christ’s example, it is done. This church is so special I decided to become a member within the first year, taking classes and making the commitment before the congregation later that year!  

Finding such a great home on Sunday has also encouraged me to stretch beyond what I absorb only on Sundays! I attend Bible study and seek out other events whenever possible during the week. It’s a great place to connect, and those connections benefit not only church members but all those in the neighboring community and in distant locations partaking of our ministry outreach! And so this morning, I received such warmth and love, especially after having been gone just one week. It’s wonderful to be missed, to be meaningful in the lives of others and to meld into a large community which truly feels like an extended family! I encourage everyone who frequents church to seek a church home which is so welcoming and actually befits the embodiment of that word “home”! Home is a special place. It is where a heart finds solace, comfort, acceptance and companionship. Home is where love flows. My church home draws me each week because I look forward to worshipping the Lord and being with my loved ones! Each week, I am welcomed home!   

 

Spring Green . .

19 Sunday Mar 2017

Posted by in Beauty, Blessings, Celebration, Faithfulness, Gratitude, Hope

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I am always so enthralled by the new, bright green which bursts forth in Spring! The world wakes from a seasonal slumber called Winter to reflect life’s enduring promise – it goes on! Life and all living beings seem so determined to live defiantly regardless the threat of weather, the pests and diseases which plague all living matter, and the risk involved in expending the energy just to do so! 

But oh what brilliance there is each new Spring each year when it happens! I drive down the streets and take notice of a shimmer, a glow, a vivid green color which I can only define or proclaim as Spring green. It’s unique, as those same leaves settle and age into a shade less new and brilliant soon after. It’s the color of green which indicates life’s revival for another new year and it’s profoundly beautiful, especially in a desert climate such as where I reside.  

Along with the brilliant, bright green, there are amazing shades of flowers, scented and not, bursting forth on many shrubs, trees, and in many beds of annuals and perennials. And the outlying drab desert, normally not so colorful especially by the end of Summer, is now awash with patchwork quilt squares of colorful wildflowers, after a generous Winter rainy season. There is so much color, along with the bright green, that the desert belies itself!

I am not sure everyone notices this bejeweled Spring green as much as I do each and every year. Of course, the flowers in abundance are hard to miss! It’s because of the harsh Summer realities approaching and the struggles I know are ahead for me as a gardener and plant enthusiast, that I perhaps give this annual green phenomenon more attention than other people do! In that intense new green, I see great promise, I see beauty, I see the plants’ determined strength and I see life-sustaining energy expended while it’s possible! Our Summer is like Winter for many plants in other colder climates, a time of rest. Many plant species must slow down and mostly go dormant in colder climates just to survive, and they grow more slowly or not at all just to preserve more essential energy. In our desert extremes, it is much the same! Many plants die during our Summer, from either the extremes of drought, heat or through diseases caused in great part by those stressors during the extreme months. And if they don’t die, they often struggle! A plant requires energy for its respiration and photosynthesis. If it is struggling just to find enough water or to evade intense heat each day, has dropped all it’s leaves or is diseased, all of that makes it almost impossible to sustain life in a desert Summer lasting nearly five months!  

 

Spring green represents all the hopefulness of life which wants to eagerly defy this usually dry climate, the changing seasons ahead, and the speculative nature of rainfall! Shiny new leaves are the enthusiastic bursts at the end of each Winter, which for gardeners like me, represent our desire to beautify in spite of all the hardships, limitations and challenges doing so presents! Gardeners are faith-filled, hopeful, and readily see the beauty even in the imperfections normally found in life! And desert gardeners are better able to “weather” the harsh realities of our hardest season ahead by appreciating the surreal beauty of an ardent Spring!  

An Intervention!

22 Friday Jul 2016

Posted by in Blessings, Choices, Freedom, God, Maturity, Self-Control, Strength, Success

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Sometimes as kids, we got caught up in the wrong things or got headed in directions which our parents knew were not good for us. We didn’t know the peril we faced, or we just risked it anyway to have our fun or gain our rewards. But our parents realized or feared that we would suffer in the end if we continued on that course. Perhaps we had already gone a significant amount of time in that misdirection before they intervened or before they were aware of how dangerous our future would be if we continued. But like all parents who accept their responsibility as guardians and caretakers, they stepped in when they spotted trouble ahead for their children. It is their duty as parents to watch over and protect those who they believe are vulnerable, in need of more maturity, unable to yet make the right choices, or are not yet fully aware of many of life’s realities. Surely we don’t always agree that we need their intervention in our lives, after all, don’t we all like to think we know best for ourselves what is best for us? But even as we mature into adulthood, our parents or others who are more aware of what is happening, often come to our rescue by way of an intervention if and when we falter in our choices. It is the role of family, community, and the inherent support structure of human beings. We are all closely intertwined and connected because sometimes our actions affect others whether we think it, know it or believe it!

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When many of us unite in dangerous behavior because we make bad choices collectively, whether purposefully or through our own ignorance of the inherent dangers to ourselves or others, we put others at risk too. So often, what we’ve done, even for a significant time, might now require a sudden or emergency intervention. And so it is in our nation right now. For too long, those who either don’t know the best direction for America or are making flawed choices on purpose, have been enacting policies which are taking us all down a harmful course. Through their elected roles as the fiduciary for the people, they have spent us into significant risk and a dangerous debt in the trillions of dollars, among other missteps. And so, someone has to step in and intervene. Someone or some “body” has to be more disciplined about the choices America has been making through our elected officials. We are dangerously close to a tipping point of no return! Unfortunately, many haven’t yet caught on, but fortunately, many have! Our federal government is broken as a system right now. It has become far too corrupt and those serving the people – often for decades at a time – have become a part of the corruption, feeding and self-prospering off the people rather than making decisions which serve to prosper all the nation. So the part of this interwoven, reliant community we call America, which is on heightened alert to the dangers ahead on this continued course, now are responding to the group of citizens which aren’t yet awake to the perils, are willing participants, or are complacent about the possible dangers we might all collectively face if we don’t right ourselves from this course we are now on. It’s a corrective response we now must make and take for the sake of our beloved America, much like a parent intervening on their child’s behalf, rather than continuing with the status quo! We cannot continue imperiled by such corruption and such abuse of power at so many levels of government, even if all of us have yet to understand that as our condition. 

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With such freedom as this country espouses, there is great personal responsibility required to maintain it! We must all do our part to see that we enjoy prosperity, but that we also understand that along with it, there is a need for self-discipline, self-control, and a self-impetus to create our share of the prosperity. Now not everyone will believe that others know better at this juncture. But this righting of America’s course is an imperative many are willing to endure for the betterment of all and for our future generations, just like the 3% of the colonial America population who stood up to face the oppressive British imperialism which sought to prevent our becoming a free nation. We should all willingly stand vigil over our freed nation to ensure that it remains exactly that! I believe we’re about to have an intervention for our own good in November 2016! And I pray that God will continue to bless this nation by enabling the willing among us to make America one great nation again, and to make America America again!  

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A More Expansive Sense of Gratitude . .

02 Thursday Jun 2016

Posted by in Blessings, Celebration, Choices, Contentment, Faith, God, Gratitude, Hope, Positivity

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Each day, I try to think of ways and things in which I am so grateful, blessings I acknowledge usually at the start or end of my day. But the other day, I was so overwhelmed within with the sensation of how rich my life has been overall! It was a definitive sense unlike any I  remember having had before! It seemed as though the Spirit within me was lifting me to a place of gratitude the likes of which I hadn’t known prior! It was a flood of sensation, with a highlight reel of my life passing through my mind simultaneously with the reflections I was having. In my heart and mind, I could take and comprise all that I had once enumerated singularly into something greater, bigger and more expansive. I could take my gratitude and place it upon my life in its entirety. I believe God was reminding me through the Spirit’s leading to stand strong in hope, faith and to remain contented, as He had provided so much for me throughout my life. My life in total reflects more than I often even remembered and my life’s value is more esteemable than those daily lists might reflect! Instead of having my daily list of things in which to be grateful to use as a means of silencing the fears, doubts, worries and consuming, disturbing emotions which stir within me during these unsettling days here on planet Earth, God was giving me (through the Spirit within me) a fuller, bigger and more expansive sense of gratitude to stand firm and strong anew each day! b2a67dd8106445a84c8262b5fa886f6d

 

I’ve always been loved, cared for, fed, clothed, housed, educated, and have had many opportunities to travel, explore and adventure in this life. I was born in the USA, which in itself, is a blessing for our commitment to human rights and freedom, as well as the richness of our nation. I’ve had so much joy and overcome so many things which surely could have been much worse, but for the grace of God. I have great parents (one surviving), siblings and grandparents (though all have passed). My family was always nurturing and full of love. I have lifelong friends who are like family. I have eyes, ears and a heart which sees the beauty of life around me each new day. I was given the gift of not shying from hard, physical work, which had taught me a lot about myself and my own abilities. And I have a desire to learn in spite of any fears, doubts, and worries which might stop me from trying. I persevere. And none of this is my doing! It has all been because of God’s grace, mercy and for His purposes. My role as a created being is to live according to His plans and purposes, a role I have learned to accept and in which I am content.  26e6c08e7627e39158a554ffd02bfa87

 

If you ask God to reveal His wonder in you, in others, in the world, He will! If you wonder about your own life, pray for Him to fill you with all the reminders and recollections of how He has cared for you and loved you through others and throughout your life! I’m so grateful for the richness of my life and all my blessings through His grace! Have I had it all? No. Do I have everything I would have wanted? No. But I have so much, have had so much, and am so full of gratitude, I don’t have a need to count or enumerate those things I might be missing! Let me always remain in this state, through the grace of the Lord, by the Spirit within me.  Signature02

Motherhood . .

08 Sunday May 2016

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A mother’s love, guidance, compassion and caring heart are truly treasures to those who depend on them for life, safety, instruction, modeling and survival. Her role is to bring life to the world, to carry within her the next generation, and to nurture that life in body and soul for as long as she is able. Those who commit to such a role with a fullness of heart are truly not only life-givers but life-sustainers as well! 2c104891ddeb2d0f8011888887d0c190

 

 

purposefully and with awareness. It might be taken on by others by choice or out of necessity, but life itself cannot be sustained without women who participate in the reproductive plans God made of first enlisting the female body, heart, and soul. A mother’s role is to be held in high regard and esteemed, for her place in God’s majestic plan requires unselfishness and sacrifice on her part and willful participation in something much greater than herself. Her impact in the world is enduring and necessary for generations to thrive and prosper. Without the participation of women, life ceases! And the Bible is full of Scripture which serves to remind us of how invaluable women are to creation itself!

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God bless mothers today and everyday for they bring each generation to life! God bless our dear moms today, for doing what they must when they must and for the love they’ve shared along the way! God bless my mom for doing her best and for loving each of us unconditionally, taking on the role of a mother as God surely designed it for His purposes and plans, with sacrifice and commitment instilled within her heart! A mother’s love echoes for generations in the living, breathing, and loving souls who walk this earth!

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Revised Expectations . .

27 Wednesday Apr 2016

Posted by in Attitude, Blessings, Choices, Contentment, Positivity

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Often when we’re expecting something to be one way, we’re surprised to discover it come to pass in another way! Last Thursday, we went out on a whale-watching boat from Oxnard in hopes of spotting whales with their calves in their migratory progression to the cooler waters to the North. We were out on seas made choppier by winds which were increasing in intensity for about two or so hours, leaving unsuccessfully without seeing a thing! The captain determined that it would not be wise to venture closer to the Channel Islands, as the waves out in deeper water were even worse! We didn’t even see a dolphin and just a day before they had estimated thousands of them were seen in the area. The abbreviated trip was a bit disappointing to us all, but the ship’s captain gave each of us a full-fare voucher for another boat ride, to use whenever we are able.  DSC01536

One hour later, as we sat beach-side at our table in Malibu, we spotted whales within just feet of us, traveling with their calves where the waves broke on the beach. From the distance of our table, we could see about ten passing in procession, spouting, and breaching as they traveled. Everyone in the restaurant left their tables to watch the procession with great interest through the large windows. Now we surely felt rewarded for the day’s efforts to find such majestic creatures as the Humpback whales casually passing by while we were eating our delicious lunch with such breathtaking views!   gratitude-quotes-1024x819 

So in spite of the less than desirable results of our adventures out to sea, we rolled with the results and were rewarded in spades for it! Even when we were out there not spotting whales or dolphins, while several of our fellow passengers got seasick in the choppy seas, we maintained our contentment just for having had such a great experience. Things don’t always go as we plan in life, but if we keep our attitude of gratitude through our revised expectations, we surely can count our blessings more easily than when we don’t!

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Good Friday Reminders . .

25 Friday Mar 2016

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This morning, I had made a plan to drive to another part of town with my mom to have breakfast and do some shopping. It seemed a great plan for our Good Friday in preparation for Resurrection/Easter Sunday this weekend. We started out fairly early and ran into a delay on the highway. It wasn’t long before we saw the reason why all the lanes of the freeway were back up. Five or six vehicles had apparently collided in some sort of debacle, which had sent them turning, spinning and careening in all directions. One had penetrated the wire fence separating the freeway lanes and granite-covered sloped shoulder from the traffic lanes up to the access road running alongside, another had smashed into the median and turned toward oncoming traffic. The granite from the shoulder had been flung all over the lanes, and the emergency vehicles were still not on site. Obviously, we had just missed the mayhem occurring, and the ensuing chaos of ambulances, tow trucks, police cars and cleanup crews. We proceeded through the mess with caution, along with the other three lanes of traffic, winnowing into two to bypass the strewn-about cars and the people who drove them. It was frightening to witness the scene, surely something shocking and potentially fatal had occurred. It shook us up as we passed cautiously, and it seemed such an auspicious start to the day. I could only say prayers for the people who were awaiting help there on the freeway this Good Friday morning.   12809794_786221654844305_6885769805558789252_n

And as we made our way to breakfast, we felt contemplative and still a bit unnerved for having witnessed such a mess for all those people involved in that traffic accident. We wondered how all the occupants of those vehicles were and if they had made it through the catastrophic start to their day. On such a beautiful and celebratory morning as this, it surely seemed a tragic start for those drivers and passengers in the five or six vehicles involved. And it reminded us of how fortunate we were today, having just made our way to our destination safely and soundly.  It reminded us to be grateful again for our lives and for the moments we have.  All blessings for sure! I had already seen sad news before leaving the house in regards to those still missing in Brussels, Belgium after the terrorist bombing there two days ago. I had learned that the two missing siblings, who were on their way home to New York, had been killed. I couldn’t help but feel sad hearing about the loss of two such young victims with all their lives ahead, and for the fact that so many around the world had hoped and prayed for them to be found alive. I know they probably died instantly, as I heard they were right near the bomb as it detonated.   10569033_1032352880152144_4730757488208241423_n

And I realize today has epitomized Good Friday, even with the trauma, danger, loss and sadness for some. Just like that day, even though Jesus was crucified in horrible and excruciating fashion, we know He conquered death and the grave!  Even in spite of the chaos and mayhem of this world, the goodness, love, mercy and faithful promises of God are with us always! We needn’t fear death, or whatever comes to our flesh, for His promises have stood the test of time. Prophesied and fulfilled that fateful day over two thousand years ago, Jesus willingly going to his death upon that cross is our constant source of peace, an assurance of God’s abiding love and a way to live with joy in spite of the world we’re now in! All the battles, heartaches, pains and torments we face are fleeting and can never take us from God! For as Jesus overcame this world, the wages of sin and death itself, so will we! All these things which can impact us while we live in the flesh are passing, our eternity is what matters! The ultimate blessing in this life is knowing that God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only begotten Son so that whosoever believeth will not perish but have eternal life! John 3:16       Signature02