The Wednesday before Thursday

I'm sitting quietly in my living room this morning,  looking at the rain fall and the wind gently blow through the trees in my front yard.  And I'm enjoying the calm solitude that is my home this morning.  John and the girls are working, each in their own space; and mine is my own, at least for now.  But tomorrow begins the busyness that is tech/show week for a production with which I'm involved in Kalamazoo.  And that means that I will NOT be in the calm solitude that is my home for the better part of the next week and a half.  I will lose track of the days, the hours will fly by, and I won't get nearly enough sleep.  Don't get me wrong; I love spending time with these people, the busyness, the fast (sometimes frantic) pace at which I will conduct my life for the next few weeks.  But there is a down side, a dangerous side. There is always the possibility of losing my footing when things get so frenetic; will the demands of the urgent take precedence over the call of the important?  I musn't forget my purpose in the midst of doing the good work.  I know Who will get the honor at the final curtain, but what about at the end of each day...at the end of each conversation?

It is always my prayer that, in whatever role I find myself, I never forget my audience of One.

What a blessed Easter!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone!
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives!
(Lyrics by Bill & Gloria Gaither)

Because grace is never about me...it's always about Him;
because He paid a debt He didn't owe,
and I owed a debt I couldn't pay;
I am blessed, today.

And if I wake tomorrow to live another day, I will be blessed.
I will be blessed.

Imagine all the sunrises and sunsets we've missed

These are some very poignant words, and they were shared with me by my mother-in-law today.  I was so grateful I had the opportunity to spend time with her and my father-in-law this evening.  I have always loved the conversations we've had, and today was no different.  She was explaining how, when she and Dad were in Hawaii, every morning she'd go out on their patio and watch the sunrise...everyday while they were there.  And when sunset came, she'd be sure to find a window to watch the sun dip into the horizon.  Then she said, "Imagine all the sunrises and sunsets we've missed!" 

Those simple occurences happen every day, events that take place that sometimes we're just too busy to notice or find too mundane to pay attention.  But sunrises and sunsets amaze me;  they happen every day, but they are all so different.  Sometimes the colors are so vivid, painted by the very hand of God.  Other days, the clouds hide the sun from our view...the sunrise happens, but we just don't see it. 

So I sat with my daughters and my in-laws, three generations around the kitchen table, sharing wine, root beer and oreos, talking about school, family, career, marriage, life. I'm so glad I took the time to look closely, listen intently and embrace the beauty that was this moment.  This evening, I experienced a vibrant sunset; I don't want to miss another one!

A great Good Friday

It's been quite a while since I've been moved by a Good Friday event.  This year, I was moved.

I went to a production today called "The Second Day", which examines the feelings of the people who surrounded Jesus the day after His crucifixion. The acting was great; the message was amazing.  But I was moved by God's incredible timing and grace, by setting me in that theatre at that time...I was overwhelmed with the way He has woven the lives of the actors with the lives of the characters they portray and the producers of the show. IAnd more than anything else, I felt privileged to know that He would choose to use me in small ways, seemingly meaningless ways, to nudge at the heart of one of those actors who is trying so hard to surrender to the One who loves him, loves all of us, more than we can ever imagine. I never thought our lives would intersect...we were really just names on e-mails, in correspondence a year ago...and today my life was changed because I will be praying for him.

And none of it would have been possible had it not been for that first, great Good Friday!

Artwork by Teresa Pizzimenti

...one is silver and the other gold.

This afternoon I had the opportunity to catch up with an old friend.  What a delight it was!!  I enjoy meeting new friends, but there's nothing like sharing hearts and lives with people you haven't been with in years.  I found myself really listening, really trying to enter into all that her life holds.  I have been learning to cherish those with whom I surround myself, and so valuing the time I get to spend with them.  Time is so fleeting, circumstances change...things will come and go, but I want to hold fast to relationships.  So, if I seem to hug you a little longer or a little tighter the next time I see you, you'll know...I'm holding on to the silver AND the gold. 

(And in case you don't know what it is I'm talking about...a little song I once learned was "Make new friends, and keep the old; one is silver and the other gold.")

In My Daughter's Eyes

Over the weekend, I was searching for a song I could sing at a Mothers' Day concert.  A google search brought me to Martina McBrides' "In My Daughter's Eyes", written by James Slater.  I've been pondering these words for the last few days...

"In my daughter's eyes I am a hero:
I am strong and wise and I know no fear.
But the truth is plain to see -
She was sent to rescue me.
I see who I wanna be
In my daughter's eyes"

How often do I stop and remember that it's not my job to change all the people and circumstances in my life?  Does my heart overflow with thankfulness for the people who have come into my life to change me?  I know that, specifically with my beautiful daughters, I do teach them now and again, but I'm really the student: I've learned about living without judgement and prejudice, not being afraid of facing tough questions, and knowing it's okay that I don't have all the answers.  I've learned to take time to sing and dance in the kitchen, build snowmen in the winter, and listen...really listen...with my head and my heart. 

I see in my daughters joy, beauty, strength, simplicity, gentleness, compassion...I see who I want to be!

And so it begins...

I started my day with a great read...'even if the earth were removed, and the mountains carried into the sea; if the mountains shake and the waters roar, I won't be afraid'...  I know whose I am; I rest secure.  When it's 80 degrees on April 10th, and it snows on April 18th, I will not be shaken!  I've come to the point in my life where I can honestly say that my soul rests despite the unrest I find surrounding me.  This, THIS, was a good day!