Friday's Favorite Quote...

Do you still believe?

The work will wait until you show the child the rainbow,
but the rainbow won't wait until the work is done.
                                                                                  -Patricia Clifford

One of the things I love the most about my husband Bert is that he appreciates 
even the smallest daily miracle.

He will stop me in my tracks and almost whisper...
" Honey, stop, look. See how the light creates shadows on our back studio?"
" Honey, stop, look. Hear the children next door on the swings. 
   Isn't their laughter magical?"
" Honey, stop, look. Look at that sunset. Doesn't it just take your breath away?
" Honey, stop, look. Look how that tiny daffodil is peeking through the crack in the rock!"

Bert sees the smallest sight, smell, or sound as a gift for his senses. He takes them all in. Breathes them all in. He relishes the gifts that God gives him every day. He'll stop what he is doing in the yard when the cats come from next door and plop down next to him. He'll refill the water bowl he has for them in the garden and then sit and watch them lap up the water with great abandonment. He doesn't miss the small moments. They bring him joy. 

He doesn't miss the precious daily gifts because he slows life down to stop and look at them .

Even going to the grocery store can be a journey in fun and frolic. Bert can get lost in the organic food aisle appreciating the farmer who grew a crop. He'll comment on the rainbow of colors in the vegetables on display. He'll breathe in deeply the smell of the newly baked french bread, every whiff a delight. 

Bert is known to comment, after I fix a meal for him, that this is the best soup he has ever tasted. And he means it. He is so in that moment that he cannot imagine anything could taste better. He has never, in our thirty years of marriage, left a table without thanking me for cooking for him.

"Honey... stop, look..."

I marvel at Bert's wonder at life, how he appreciates the taste of every lick of an ice cream cone.

When he's with our grandchildren, you may find him on the ground with them watching an ant crawl across the driveway. Or they'll see him pick up a worm that got stuck on the sidewalk and take it to safer ground. Or they'll see him take a bird who flew into a window and make a nest where it can recover.

"Honey, stop, look..."

Bert knows in his deepest heart of hearts that there are more days behind him than in front of him. He knows when he takes my hand and gently caresses it that there are fewer days to be hand holding. He knows when I am rushing down the hall, intent on doing something and he grabs me and twirls me and gives me a huge kiss, that there are fewer days to be kissing your beloved. He knows when he puts on gospel music on a Sunday before church and he grabs me 
for a last minute dance with him, that there are fewer days left for dancing.

He doesn't want to waste a moment, because he knows that every moment is precious.

It's a gift from the great Father. It's a gift to be appreciated. He will, until his last moment here, soak it all in. 

He's so wise because he knows that work will wait. He knows that the precious moment in front of him may be gone in a heartbeat.

"Honey, stop, look..."

How grateful I am to live with this man. 
To be kissed by this man. 
To dance with this man.
To watch him with our precious grand babies. 

God must smile when he sees how Bert loves His creation, even the tiniest worm.

"Honey, stop, look..."

Thanks for making me stop and look, my precious husband. Thank you for helping me to slow down and see the gifts right in front of me. I love you with all my heart!

God Bless!
Linda