WORTH THE COST?

 I am certain I have posted about this before, but recently I was reminded of the relevance and importance of it.  There is that old saying, 

"LOVE MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND"

I did a little research (of course I did) and it appears no one knows the origin of this saying,

but  I did find this-

"It's been expressed in various forms in literature and philosophy, suggesting love is essential for happiness"

We could talk circles around this, but one truth for MOST of us is we desire to love and be loved.  It is such a strong emotion, we are actually able (MOST OF US) to look beyond ourselves when we love someone and put their needs before our own.  Is it also true with great love---can come great cost? 

My Dear Friend recently recently reminded me of just how true this can be.  They called in great distress by the anniversary of the loss of a sweet Loved One.  Those anniversaries bring it all to the surface.  We are able at some point to stuff down the great grief caused by the loss of those we love deeply, but it is always there just below the surface waiting for something to bring it all to the surface.  They have faced a loss the vast majority of us will not have to bear, but that particular day--they was reliving it all as they were reminded by the calendar. 

In a quick moment, the conversation took a turn---as they sobbed, they remembered another Dear Friend who is facing medical tests with possible dire answers.  They looked beyond their personal grief and asked for prayers for another.  They were living beyond their personal pain---and actively thinking of another.  There lies the key to living with the cost of losing great love---looking beyond ourselves and thinking of those in our midst who are also suffering or in need.  

We all desire to love and be loved---but it comes with a cost.  Is it worth the cost when we suffer from seemingly unbearable grief?  ABSOLUTELY! Would we want our life to be void of the loved one so we would not have to bear the weight of great grief?  Yes, we could avoid the great pain of loss, but we would also void ourselves of the great joy of love.  We are, in a sense, dying to self when we open ourselves to the possibility of great pain by loving another so much we risk suffering great pain.

This all made me think of Jesus and how He loved us so much---KNOWING the pain He would suffer He walked the road to the cross.  As Easter approaches, during this period of Lent, I am reflecting on His willingness ---because of His great love for us---to suffer the unthinkable agony of becoming our sacrifice for the sins of the world.  He KNEW the separation from the Father He was about to endure--the loss of communion with Him until He was resurrected.  So was it worth the cost?  He knew by His sacrifice we would be with Him throughout eternity.  YES---there is pain---and loss---but Sunday was coming!

"This is real love -

not that we loved god,

but that He loved us

and sent His Son

as a sacrifice 

to take away our sins."

I John 4:10

UNENCUMBERED

 I have missed you, Dear Friends and our conversations.  How can it already be March and I have not posted?  How can the weeks have flown by with so little work on my Memory Book for my offspring?  Life has a way of drifting off course and when we take our eyes off the road, we may find ourselves headed NOT where we intended.

  So it has been since 2024.  I could blame the latest of my series of moves over the past decade plus on the burden of owning two houses at once (long story, but truly I was real estate poor).  As with all things--were all those moves really necessary?  I have become somewhat of a nomad---looking for a house that can become a home---even when knowing the building is not what makes a home.  Currently I am actually in a repeat house---interesting story--or perhaps not.  Maybe it is like a record you really like and decide to listen to more than once or a good book that you re-read--pleasure and wisdom can be garnered from repeats.  This house---is a lovely house---warm and comfortable and less than 15 years old, so no old house problems.  The yard is a great size for me to be able to handle and the downstairs is just enough space for me.  The down-side of this house is all the space upstairs I do not need.  I literally only go up the stairs to clean (my obsessive need for tidiness and cleanliness).  In the world of my economy, more than what I need or want to take care of can be a burden.

Thankfully I am always considering life's happenings and trying to glimmer an ounce of wisdom to use as I finish out these last chapters.  With all these moves and a couple of them long distance, I have garnered this bit of wisdom---downsizing -though NOT easy to accomplish---frees us from taking care of the un-needed things in our lives we have managed to collect over a lifetime of walking through this world.  I am down to a bare minimum---and it is more than enough.  All those material possessions require time, effort, and resources to take care of and provide space for.  My release of material possessions began with selling the home where I raised my children for the most part--5 acres and 2800 square feet of living space along with storage space galore in an attic, garage, and storage house---crammed absolutely full.  It was a herculean task.  With each move, I have whittled down the possessions collected over decades.  These last two moves were absolutely paring down to only what I frequently use and need.  Even the bequests in my will of family keepsakes have been handed over to their new owners.  My memories are now in my head and heart--and I am traveling the reminder of the road to Heaven unencumbered, for the most part,  with material possessions.

As I thought this over during this move, it occurred to me the freedom of not having the responsibility of caring for things which probably do not have any worth to those I will leave them.  Having helped with my in-law's house which was decades upon decades of "things" and dismantling my mother's apartment just before she went on---I am well aware--what happens to the lion's share of the treasures of this world.  Either someone is fighting over them (I absolutely refuse to fight---peace is always more important) or they are dragging them to the landfill and dumping them out to be-literally plowed under.  One man's treasure is another man's junk.  Sooner or later we will be unencumbered---there is only so much room in a casket--and we cannot take it with us.

We will all enter our eternal home--our home which will be permanent--unencumbered.  I am pretty certain we all agree we cannot take our earthly possessions with us---my question is can we also free ourselves while here on this earth of the emotional baggage of a lifetime?  Will we stand at those gates of our eternal home---free of the negative emotions gathered as we walked through this life?   What are we hanging on to and refusing to part with that we will have to explain when we knock on that door?  Food for thought, Friends, food for thought.

"But they were looking forward to a better home in heaven."

Hebrews 11:16

NEW YEAR

 This needed to be shared ~

"She was visited by a rare moment of happiness, one of those moments when the goodness of God was so real to her that it was like a taste and scent; the rough strong taste of honey in the comb and the scent of water."

May we all taste and smell God as we move through this New Year not as a rarity, but as a consistent acknowledgment of His presence.

AND WE FACE TOMORROW WITH

Scientific fact---as you grow older---the years seem to pass faster.  There were periods in life that time seemed to drag---whatever I was waiting for seemed an eternity away.  Here is another fact of life I have observed---as the point in time you are desiring becomes closer--time speeds up.  I KNOW---it is all in my head---thankful something is in there!  Here we are at the end of 2024.  This year has been a challenge for me---some years are easier than others.  So thankful for the moments of joy and laughter--even in the midst of struggle.    I have now been back in Fort Worth two years and a half years, this year has been full of change and struggle.  Much of what I speak---the blame is on my own back.  Off the point!  The point is---we are turning the pages of the calendar to 2025 tomorrow.  A symbolic point of reset--starting over.  We have traveled down these same days of the years before---some of us MANY times.  Tomorrow we start again and what 2025 holds in some cases is beyond our control, but in others is entirely up to us.  What does your future hold?

 

My last regular post is circling around the most significant part of starting again.  The reason we are able to begin anew--even when we have struggled in our recent past.  The capacity  to have ~

Hope is a gift from God based upon Who He is.  "The Bible describes hope as a confident trust in God's promises, even when they aren't immediately fulfilled."  We know as we know that our hope is in Him, He is faithful, and we can trust in Him.  The Book is full of His promises and a description of His character.  We know as we know---our hope is in Him.

So---I leave you with this-

"May the God of hope 

fill you with all joy and peace in believing,

so that by the power of

the Holy Spirit

you may abound in hope."

Romans 15:13

HAPPIEST OF NEW YEARS,

DEAR FRIENDS

MAY YOU AWAKEN

TO A NEW YEAR

FILLED WITH

HOPE!

TWO MORE POSTS IN 2024

I cannot believe I am down to my last two regular posts.  Again--I will occasionally  post---when something is  weighing upon my soul and needs to be shared.  If you want to be certain you see the post, sign up to be a follower.  Writing a book of memoirs will be a huge project and until it is finished, I will not be writing every week day.  So thankful for all who have followed along with my stream of consciousness. You have inspired me, encouraged me, and made me think--thank you!  I have carefully considered what these last two posts topics will be.  Today we will once again hit upon gratitude.  Could anything be more important than a consistent attitude of gratitude?

It is really easy to have this attitude of thanks, when things are going smoothly---OR IS IT?  Often we take smooth sailing and blue skies for granted.  We forget the storm clouds of yesterday---and the rocky rides once we have survived them.   To coin a contemporary description of the world---we feel "ENTITLED".  We not only expect fair weather, but we feel as if we it is our due.  I AM GUILTY-GUILTY-GUILTY!  At a bare minimum---I forget the source of ALL good things and go on my merry way with an attitude of "This is as it should be".  Perhaps we are more prone to forgetting gratitude and thanksgiving when the world is rosy than when the storms of life are beating us down.  When we are struggling---we are looking for someone to blame or give us a helping hand---and our years of Sunday School lessons have taught us it is NOT God who has caused our woes.  SHAME on us if we shake our fist at him and forget all He has done.  I beg to differ.  God created us---He understands our frustrations and has BROAD SHOULDERS (FIGURATIVELY) --and has infinite patience with us---HIS Beloved.  He can use ALL things on the Road to Sanctification---even our poor attitudes and forgetfulness of the Source of all good things.  He is ALWAYS teaching us.

To sum this up---I was sitting in my living room yesterday with a "younger" friend from the Hood.  We were discussing a current struggle I am experiencing and the options of how to handle it.  After a LONG discussion, I finally looked at him and reminded myself by verbalizing it to him that "ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD" and God can use everything to teach us.  Somehow I am more reminded of my gratitude in the midst of struggle than when the world is running smoothly knowing what He has promised.  To be more concise---hopefully I am developing a habit of gratitude knowing deep in my being--where all good things come from, and when struggles come my way---I can be grateful--KNOWING AS I KNOW--that God is using the good and the bad to show me Who He is.  So praise God for my current struggles---and I look forward to seeing how God uses them for His Good Purpose and my growth in devotion to Him.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good

of those who love him,

who have been called according to His purpose."

Romans 8:28

MOMENT OF REFLECTION

 

Today is the last Friday of 2024--the beginning of the final weekend of the year.  Will it be just another Friday and weekend or will you spend some time in reflection?  Reflection is good for the soul.  If we wander aimlessly through life---without considering where we have been and what we might need to change---we are asking for more of the same.  Perhaps you have become accustomed to The Same---and like knowing what to expect.  BUT-if you want more, are not satisfied with your history, reflection is a great tool of introspection.  I suppose that is where New Year's Resolutions came from--the desire to change--for the better hopefully.  To my knowledge, I have never heard anyone say they wanted to begin a change for the bad in the future.  We are creatures of hope--people who want to do better--always looking to improve.  When we sit down and accept defeat--you can expect the broken record to keep on skipping over the same lines and notes.  WE CAN DO BETTER!  No matter how old you are, what your circumstances are, what your obstacles are, there is always some area in your life in which you can improve.  Improvement spawns more improvement and the more we improve--the better our lives. 

SO, Dear Friends, take a moment (at least) and reflect on where you are and where you have been.  Add to that reflection where you would like to be.  It is a wonderful tool--and shows us the depth of our potential.  It all begins with a moment of reflection.

"And hope does not disappoint"

Romans 5:5

THE DAY AFTER

 Once again---Christmas has come and gone and we find ourselves waking on the day after. Some I know put Christmas away late Christmas afternoon,  others will begin the task today as soon as they down that cup of coffee, then there are those who save it all until New Year's Eve or Day-claiming the season is not over until then, the more orthodox among us will leave it all until Epiphany or Three Kings' Day-January 6, and then there are those who leave it up and leave it up---because they love it so.  No matter when you put away the decorations---the fact remains this is the day after and, for the most part, the celebrating is over.

We all wake up to "The Day After" on many occasions.  It signifies the final curtain falling and the new day dawning.  We cannot change---there will be change---and after the change--we either return to "normal" or we begin anew.  Think of how your life changed with the birth of your first child, graduation, marriage, and even when a season comes to an end.  Sometimes those endings--though signaling a new beginning are bittersweet.  Sometimes those endings leave us spinning in the confusion of the new day.  The loss of a loved one profoundly changes our lives.  Throughout life---I have opened my eyes countless times to the day after.  We cannot change the ending of a season--we can determine how we react to the new season.  The question becomes are we going to trust God in our "new season"?  Do we believe He is faithful and always has our best at heart?  

On this the day after Christmas are you looking to the past or planning for the future?  Unless you can put the past in the past and learn from it, you may become stuck dwelling upon it.  We need to look to the future and live in the day and learn from the past.  SO--Happy Day After---a New Year will soon be here.  I am praying we all can vow to make the most of each day God gives us and help us stay in the moment.  He has a plan---trust Him.

"For I know the plans I have for you,

declares the Lord,

plans for welfare and not for evil,

to give you a future and a hope.

Then you will call upon me

and come and pray to me,

and I will hear you.

You will seek me 

and find me,

when you seek me with all your heart."

Jeremiah 29:11-13