Continue On this Season of Miracles

This year Christmas came and went much faster than I can ever recall. As I have shared before, it’s my favorite Holiday Season. Brightly colored lights can be found on every street corner. Friendly smiles worn upon strangers in checkout lines and helpful store clerks. A soft glow of white lights and intricate ornaments of memories past are hung upon tress. Yummy smells fill kitchens of warm delights. Families gather. Conversations and laughter fill once quiet hallways.

It is truly a Season of miracles. Miracles of blessings. Blessings to help bring a happy Christmas so that a child’s stocking may brim over with goodness. Generosity found in unmarked envelopes, reminds us that He is and shall always be our provider. The most important Miracle of all. God in flesh, found in the lowliest of places. A feeding trough now holding a babe who bears the weight of a sinful world upon His shoulders.

But this Season of miracles need not cease. There is no reason that they must come to an end. There is no reason for families to gather only on Seasonal and a few momentous occasions. We can continue to fill our tables with savory meals, warm conversation and our homes with laughter. We can continue to bless others in need. A continuous reminder of His unending Faithfulness. Most importantly we can hold onto and live out the Miracle of His Mercy and Grace. Yes. This Season can carry on as we spread the light of His Love. A light which burns brightly from the depths within our hearts.  

Remember Them

Abraham Lincoln once penned, "I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient.... One stormy night I tossed on my bed, unable to sleep as I thought of the terrible sufferings of our soldiers and sailors. I spent an hour in agonizing prayer." Wow! Just two days ago America celebrated 'Veterans Day'. A day dedicated in remembrance to all who have served yesteryear and today to keep this Great Nation we are so privileged to live in safe. Countless, precious souls have bled and died so that we may sleep safely in our beds. And countless more are fighting this day on our behalf.

My son's best friend from High School has been deployed and is stationed over in the hot sand. So many miles from home, friends and family. He is like a son to me and pray hard for his protection. My sweet friends husband is right there with Jake. Leaving his wife, six and one year old to serve and protect a cause he swore and believes worth dying for. Placing all other lives above his. And my sister-in-law's beloved son is on tour #3. He too has left his precious family behind. All doing what they love and selflessly committed their lives to.

Thanksgiving and Christmas is upon us. Wives and children, Moms and Dads, friends and families, will be celebrating these holidays quite differently this year. As of their priceless loved ones afar. Only their hearts interwoven with a beautiful tapestry of love to connect them.

Remember them. Remember these families, soldiers and multitudes of others this Holiday Season. Remember them everyday before, in between and after. Praying for a Peace that surpasses all understanding. A Comfort far greater than an ache for the one's they love. For their safety. And for God's mighty arms to engulf them, protect them, love on them.

"Then suddenly there appeared with the angel an army the the troops of heaven (a heavenly knighthood), praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest [heaven], and on earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased [men of good will, of His favor]'." ~ Luke 2:13&14 amplified

Time Which Has Been Given

Frodo: "....I wish none of this had happened."
Gandalf: "So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that has been given to us."

~ Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring

What to do with the time that has been given to us? Such powerful words in such a short conversation. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, the word itself brings me to ponder all at hand. All that I've chosen to see in a different light.

For instance, I desire to spend as much time with my Mom as it is unknown how long she will be living here on earth. But by golly, we know the time that she has been given thus far which is far more than expected. She is here. She has breath within her lungs. She brings much to our conversations. We laugh together. Cry together. Her Oncologist is simply amazed! My Mom chose to bring me into this world when advised by many not to do so. And because she did, we not only celebrated my birth this month, but will my Daughter's as well.

No. Life has not been an easy road for either of us. This is for certain. But Mom and I chose to live the time which has been given with immense passion. With Love. With Grace. And with Gratitude!

 

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under Heaven: A time to be born and a time to die.” ~ Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a

Stop and See

Piano music softly plays in the background. Warm candlelight shines from a nearby table. Lightening flashes and thunder booms loudly from the sky above. The colors of the changing leaves are brilliant against their gray backdrop. I smile. This is a lovely day! I've chosen optimism in the place of frustration. I choose joy where discouragement creeps. My eyes are open to His gifts of grace all around. Rain beats down harder on the window pane. I'm enjoying it immensely.

Have you ever felt stuck? Perhaps in a rut? Finding yourself wanting? Perhaps now? We are so busy chasing what we do not have, we forget what we do have. What is right in front of us.

The ones we love and whom love us back. To be loved, is there any greater gift than that? Please. Stop and see the blessings all around us. We are rich. We have a God that reaches down from Heaven to place His tender, loving hand upon our sweaty brow. He gifted us Grace which replaced sin. Mercy which brought restoration. He calms the waves of adversity and restores our weary soul. He hears our hearts cry and holds our very best interest at heart. And He is the ever-present Love that never forsakes us. 

He Is

He is the breath that breathed life into my youngest curled next to me. Soundly asleep. He is the love shining brightly behind my Anna's eyes who peaks her head in to say, "good-night". He is in the sunset pictures my son sent from a place he draws perspective from. He is in the warm embrace of my eldest who is home for a short visit. He is in the labor of love that my beloved husband has created for my birthday dinner. A favorite dish. Lobster-bisque and crab cakes. YUM!!

He is my provider Whom meets every need, even though our checkbook may tell us differently. He is the warm coat provided. He is the loving voice of a missed friend on the other end of my phone. He is the love that brings clarity to a hurtful misunderstanding. He is the Truth despite what my emotions may whisper. He is my constant in every situation.

He is the bread of life which nourishes this hungry soul. He is the Joy within my worship. He is the freedom that broke the chains that bound. He is Love. He is Grace. He is Mercy. He is LIFE!

To All Who Serve

Sergeant Thomas Joseph Kargas with his daughter Sofia.

As I sat on my bed to change into my pajama's, I recalled how September 11th is in just a few short days. I can recall exactly where and what I was doing. Eight months pregnant with my middle daughter and awaiting for my Daycare children to arrive, I sat in disbelief as I watched the horror unfold before my eyes. Now 18 yrs later, we are still at war. Babies then, men now fighting for our Nation. Fighting for the 2, 977 precious souls taken that day. A day that changed our Great Nation for ever. A Nation that I grew up loving. This Nation in which I raised my babies in and hope to watch my future grand-kids grow.

Many men and women have bled and died for this freedom we continue to fight for. Many have returned home, plagued by the nightmares of war. A war that wages on, with countless soldiers fighting on our behalf. Fighting for their families. Fighting for their little ones. Fighting for a Country they love and believe in. So. I dedicate this to you. Our beloved Soldiers. May you not fight in vain, but know that a people across the sea are praying for you. May you feel God's strength when the days are long. May you see His light in the midst of darkness. May you have Hope in times of doubt. And may you return home to all those whom are waiting. My heart overflows with Gratitude for you. May God be with you.

"It's like in the great stories Mr. Frodo, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn't want to know the end because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end it's only a passing thing this shadow, even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines it'll shine out the clearer. I know now folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going because they were holding on to something. That there's some good in the world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for." ~ Samwise Gamgee

Even When....

As I was driving home from church this afternoon, mulling over today's sermon and how vital its lesson was, there was a particular sentence in a song on the radio that pertained to me on a deep, personal level, "Jesus, even when I cannot see, you hold the answer for me." I breathed deep a whisper of gratitude. A precious reminder from an all-Sovereign Lord.

 

So., we cling to the One we've placed our trust in. And when the shadows of doubt obscure our vision, let our utmost certainty in His eternal promises keep the course. He birthed a dream within us for a reason. Hold on tight and don't let go! Listen to the voice of The Good Shepherd who always has our very best interest at heart. God gives us our dreams which produce hope for the future. I have learned on the most personal of levels, through our broken dreams and a plethora of, "whys", through the test of our faith and the strengthening of our relationship with God, we build a stronger foundation through our spiritual journey. Though the door may close, it is just for a season. You never know what lies beyond when it's re-opened.