Saturday, February 18, 2012

The beauty of the moment

We live for tomorrow. We want to grow up. We want to be 9 when we are 7. We want to be in 5th grade when we are in 3rd. We seem to think that when we turn 13 life will suddenly become incredible. Then we can't wait until we are 16 and get our drivers license. We impatiently tap our toe until we turn 18. Then it's that magic number 21. We want to be where we are not. We can't wait until vacation. We can't wait until vacation is over. We want it to be the end of the quarter. We want it to be something it's not. Our culture helps us fail at being content in the moment. Right now it's February and what do we see in the stores? Swimsuits and Easter candy. Why can't we just enjoy Valentines Day for more than 24 hours? Why do we have to have a swimming suit when we can't wear it until June; except with this year the way it's been no one will be surprised if we are swimming in May.
We need to enjoy the beauty of the moment. Today we went to the zoo; the Peoria Zoo. We watched the animals, we took pictures, we ran, we fell down, we played with the cousins and we gave piggy back rides. We totally enjoyed the moment. We came home and made orgami horses, swans and roses to put by the name cards for supper. We laughed at everyone playing on the i-pads, i-pods and laptops not to mention the Wii. We are only here for two days, we are enjoying the moment.
God wants us to enjoy the moment. God wants us to walk the path he gave us and to find contentment in each moment. Our family is moving to Singapore in May. That means we will take the time to just enjoy the beauty of the moment because there will be a time when we can't just throw some clothes in the duffel bag and head for Peoria. There will come a time when to get to see them will be a 18 hour plane ride; let me rephrase that... 18 hours of riding in a plane and several thousand dollars to boot. We are totally enjoying the moment of three little girls and their folks.
Why do we have a problem living in the moment? Probably because we are not thankful for the simple things God gives us. Nothing exciting happened in our life today. I am thankful. There are plenty of people in cancer wards and children's hospitals who would have loved to have had a day where nothing major happened. To appreciate the moment and what God has given is to appreciate God and love what he's done. We will worship tomorrow, we will eat lunch, we will find a suit for Tyler and we will play games and watch a movie. We will enjoy the beauty of the moment. Go ahead; I dare you!!!

Monday, February 13, 2012

Saying goodbye and hearing hello

We have had a year of goodbye's. It started with Grandpa Frank and walking him through hospice and into heaven and then Grandpa Charlie the next week. What an honor to have two men so invested in my life spiritually but not related physically. My kids tried to tell someone they they weren't really related but that it didn't matter anyway cuz all they remember was calling them Grandpa. In fact Baihley had a friend in school who also had the same relationship with Charlie and so they decided if they called him Grandpa, that must make them cousins. Those kind of special relationships are special because of the bond we have in the Lord.
It's been almost a month since I went to see Sue and she headed for heaven the next day. What an honor and what a privilege. Tomorrow we have a luncheon for so many of those special people; with parts of their hearts in heaven. I hope that you find someone to reach out to this Valentine Day that has lost an earthly love and remind them of the love of God.
What is there about sharing love that goes beyond the Valentine's and cards? It's a part of the heart. Go out and make a difference and don't let it stop when February 15th rolls around. Love really is 24/7 and 365 days!!!!