"If you want something new,
you have to stop doing something old."
- Peter Drucker
The fireplace is blazing, and this morning the temperatures outside are below freezing. What a perfect morning to get a warm cup of coffee, snuggle up with a fuzzy throw, pet our sweet pooch Daisy, and just take a long-awaited deep and inhaling breath.
Ah...a moment of peace.
My eyes glance up to the wall across from my comfy spot,
the place where I read, grade papers, and write blog posts.
The wall, dotted with photographs and sayings and words is
a black and white, and beige and sepia-toned wall.
There a large quote stands out, framed in rough wood. It was an anniversary present for my beloved Bert...
You have my whole heart for my whole life.
And he does, too.
Other momentoes, reminders of days gone by...
Old photographs of Bert, years ago, as he was windsurfing at the start of the sport he named. Precious pictures of Bert and his Mama, the girls, the grandkids, their faces beaming at me.
And words and sayings sprinkled in with an old clock whose ticking is a backdrop for remembering how fast time passes.
Yet the highlight of the wall, the thing that draws the most questions and comments from dear friends passing by, are the words there. Each one drawn on a unique chalk frame, calligraphied by my very own hand and pen.
In 2014 I started to pick a "word for the year." Sometimes the word would hit me in the face and almost say aloud,
"Concentrate on me, keep me in your mind and heart."
Other words would feel like God whispered their existence and they came up again and again until I picked them.
Amazingly, every time, God's word-of-the-year was exactly, perfectly what I needed to focus on. A visual and audio affirmation of where my mind and heart needed to be.
2014: Wholehearted
2015: Renew
2016: Light
2017: Hope
Each word, in its own time, acted almost like a lighthouse to a sailor lost at sea. They have been a reminder of what really matters. They have been a reminder of God's intentions for my life.
Usually the word comes to me by the first of the year, but not this year. And I decided to relax and let the word percolate and come in its own sweet time, trusting that if God wanted me to have a word, He would make that word known.
And He did.
Suddenly the word Transform was everywhere. And it was clear that the kind of transformation God had in store for me wasn't an exterior makeover.
He was guiding me and inspiring me to change my life not just on the exterior, but more importantly on the interior. Not only did the word show up, suddenly butterflies kept coming up in pictures and in dreams. So I felt led to spend some time reading about the real transformation that butterflies go through before they are ready to fly.
My oh my, I had no idea how this echoed my own life.
Butterflies are not born, they develop. They even have a shedding of the old process, a "molting" if you will, before they can be all they are meant to be.
It seems that God is calling me to that kind of transformation.
And I truly believe that His Holy Spirit, His love, His presence can transform my heart and my life so I can have an even deeper relationship with Him.
"Not my will, His will," as my dear friend Vicky Westra says.
That's what is in store for me in 2018, and I am at once delighted, scared, and exhilarated. I can't wait to see what God's plan looks like.
As I quickly approach another birthday, 71 on February 5th,
it seems so perfect as I see a birthday as a symbol of being transformed. No matter how old I am, I am never "done."
God continues His ongoing work in me.
I love the Bible verse (Ezekiel 36:26) where God says..
"And I will give you a new heart, and a new
spirit I will put within you."
What a great 71st birthday present!
Sending you loves, hugs and prayers!
God bless!
Linda
Saturday, January 27, 2018
Sunday, January 07, 2018
Gratitude, Wonder. and the Power of Prayer...
Jacob, Jenna, Amy, Sihin and Annora
Amy and Jenna
Sihin and Jenna
Jacob
AnnoraI love fresh starts and new beginnings. So the beginning of a new year is the perfect opportunity for me to at once reflect back on the year gone by and also look forward with anticipation to the days and months to come.
When I look back at 2017, over and over a theme arises, a mantra if you will, a silent whisper in my heart.
I am just so grateful. I am in wonder at life's blessings and how God works. I am amazed at the power of prayer.
Even in the hardest of times in the past twelve months, God's grace, love and a peace that passes all understanding have cushioned my happy heart and my hurting heart.
I've come to believe, in the seventy years I have been on the planet, that it is the tough times, the hard times, the grueling times that help me to truly cherish the good times, the easy times, and the joyous and calm times.
When I know deep pain, it helps me to more fully embrace and appreciate deep joy. When I feel the most alone, that's when I remember that I am never alone.
God is right there in the hardest hard.
And when I look at the pictures of Amy and her children, at the start of this blog post, I am overcome with emotion. Tears spill freely down my cheeks as I look at these loved ones.
This daughter that we adore and these grandchildren who have stolen our hearts. Bert is Boppa and I am Nana and when they call us by these endearing names, well we just melt.
These "grands," as my dear friend Jackie calls them, are joy-givers, that's for sure.
And when hard things happen to them, like Jacob's recent mountain bike accident (sees the bog post prior to this one for details)...well, it hurts more than words can express.
Yet the pain of this accident, when shared, gave us such HOPE and gratitude. When our dear friends and family members prayed...well, it sustained us in a way that changed
us. Knowing we could turn to others and they would faithfully pray, well, there are no words to say how grateful I am.
Some examples....
Immediately when we heard about Jacob being hurt, I contacted my dearest friends. All of them are powerful and
faithful prayer warriors...
Jackie, my dear forever friend, who reminded me over and over, with small messages on my blog and email, that she was praying.Thank you, dear friend. Your friendship means so much to me. Love you, sweet friend!
Vicky and Peggy, my soul sisters, thank you both for praying
for our beloved grandson Jacob. I love you both more than words can ever express.
Sharon, my dear friend, who now lives here in Spokane,
thank you for your special friendship and for your prayers for my family and Jacob. We have known each other forever it seems and I love and appreciate you so much.
My friends at SCC, including Mark and Larry on the facilities team, thank you all for praying for Jacob.
Our church family at Bethel AME, thank you for holding all of us up in prayer.
Others who read this blog, like Gramma Grits, thank you for your prayers. Other friends and family members...thank you for your prayers!
And finally, my dear friend Chuck. You are a wonder and miracle to Bert and to me. I will never forget our encounter at Bank of America. I had just heard the severity of what had happened to Jacob and you are a nurse. As I came through the set of doors to go back outside, there you were. You took one look at my face, walked me back into the bank, and asked what was wrong. As I started to tell you, I was crying so hard the words would hardly come out. You pulled me aside to the sofa in the bank, sat me down, held my hand and prayed out loud with me right there. Right there, loud enough for all to hear. You asked God to protect Jacob, to heal Jacob.
I know that He heard your prayers and your deep love and trust in God inspired me, more than you could ever know.
So while it is only January 7th, and 2018 is still quite new,
I am thanking God over and over again for His love. I am in wonder and so grateful for dear and faithful fiends who love us and pray with us. I am grateful for joy and grateful for the hard times that help me be closer to God.
May you know how much He loves you, too!
God Bless!
Love, Linda
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