At last a morning to sit & reflect. It has been an absolutely crazy week & I am thankful for a few moments to slow down, bask in the quietness & stand in awe of God's goodness. Instrumental Christmas music is playing on the kitchen CD player, lights of Christmas trees twinkle in the lingering darkness of night, waiting to turn to morning & I have a new candle burning. One I picked out with my sister. Candles are a simple pleasure for me. Kind of like these owl cups that adorn our bathroom that MaKayla picked out at the grocery store. Sometimes simple pleasures can transform a day...
Today is the first day this week of nothingness. No where to go. No major deadlines to meet. No pressing tasks to accomplish. Just a day to be home. With our girls. Doing the things that bring me joy & satisfaction. Laundry. School. Communing with MaKayla & Mal. Washing dishes. Just being here.
Tuesday, Mom, Marci, D & I spent a long but amazing day together shopping. I left home at 6:45 a.m. & stepped back in the door at 12:45 the next morning! We do it every November/December & it's a day on the calendar that I look forward to throughout the entire year. Laughter, tears, sharing, shopping, food. Being together. It. Was. Wonderful. And since D has a strong affection towards Starbucks, we frequented that joint twice. Once in the morning. Once in the afternoon. First round a medium was ordered. Second round, a GRANDE. Many special moments with three women I love more than life itself. ♥
Last night in the women's study at church, the Lord led me to share how worship is a basic form of prayer. Worship being a spontaneous result from the conscious awareness of God. Realizing His greatness, His nearness & His love for me. Responding to Him with deep affection. Recognizing who He is, what He has done & all He has created. Being mindful. Acknowledging His power. Communicating to Him my adoration & gratitude that He. Is. God. This morning as I was reflecting on last night's lesson/discussion, and as I started working on the blogpost, I glanced out the west window to see if the moon was brightly shining as it has been the past few mornings. Sure enough, there it was. So...I moved the computer from one place to another so that I could see it's presence as dark turned to dawn. Creation draws me to the Lord. I feel His closeness there more than any other place. It started in Chariton, Iowa at youth camp when I was younger. At one point in every day of the week I was there, a 10-15 minute time was set aside to be "alone" with God. The church camp was held on a "campus" which was a large spacious acreage surrounded by grassy areas & lots of trees. All the kids would assemble in a group, the dinner bell would ring, devotions were handed out & everyone was instructed to disperse on the campgrounds finding a place to be alone with God. Those moments have impacted me for the rest of my life & have given me a love for the beauty & serenity of God's creation. I do stand in awe of Him. And as someone shared in our discussion, I am so thankful for the grace & deliverance that He so generously lavishes upon my life.
Today as I begin my day, I am drawn to worship. I am drawn to acknowledge the presence & the goodness of God. I am drawn to respond to His work in my life with a simple yet sincere, "Thank You..." I am drawn to recognize who He is in my life & how lost I would be without Him. I am drawn to an attitude of gratefulness for the ability to love & to be loved. I am drawn to Him...
It's a beautiful morning. The moon is fading away & light has dawned. Cows graze the field & a few remaining leaves shiver on the trees.
Thank You, God for the promise of a new day...
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good...
Psalm 107:1
