Love

Where do you find God on a day like today?  Where do you find Him in the midst of such horror and senseless death?  I can't begin to imagine what the victims went through, or what their families are going through now.  I have no words, and anything I write seems so trivial.  But as I read through some of the accounts of the incident, and then through postings and comments that people were making, I realized that God was there.  He was there in every bowed head, in every prayer said, in every thought sent.  He was there in every tear shed.  He was there in the massive outpouring of love sent to the victims and their families.  I found Him today not in the horror, but in the heartfelt response to that horror which comes from the love we have for each other.  That's all I can say.

Run, Run, Rudolph

We had some family issues to deal with today, and they were causing a fair amount of stress.  We got everything sorted out, but I was left feeling pretty drained.  I wanted to de-stress so I decided to bake cookies and listen to Christmas music.  I had downloaded some new songs just last night but hadn't had a chance to listen to them.  I started up the new playlist, and the first song to play was "Run, Run, Rudolph" by Dwight Yoakam.  What a fun song!  It lifted my spirits immensely, and the lively beat even had me dancing around the kitchen while I was pulling out ingredients for the cookies.  I can't understand half the words, but I don't care - it made me happy.  It's amazing how music can affect our mood.  That upbeat Christmas song turned my frown upside-down, and today I found God in it's lively, mood-changing melody.

(This live version is the only one I could find to link to.  It's not as good as the original, but you'll get the idea if you care to listen to it.)

Run, Run, Rudolph by Dwight Yoakam

Contentment

It was raining this morning so I couldn't go for my walk.  I was planning to do Christmas baking today, but since I had a little extra time, I decided to sit with a cup of tea before I started.  The Christmas tree was lit up, the rain was pouring down, and I was lucky enough to be cozy inside with my hot tea.  You know those moments when you feel totally centered and content?  It almost feels like time stands still for a few minutes, and in that stillness, you're just completely aware.  Aware of your blessings, aware of God, and just totally "there" in the moment.  I was blessed to experience that today watching the rain fall outside the window behind our beautiful, glowing Christmas tree.  God found me there in that moment today.

Shortbread

I'm behind on my baking for Christmas this year.  I've been busier than normal and just haven't had time.  But today I really wanted to try a new shortbread recipe I found.  Shortbread type cookies are really difficult to do gluten and dairy free. My usual flour blend doesn't work well with them.  So after running around this morning, I whipped up the new recipe, baked them, and set them out to cool.  I wasn't holding out much hope for them because they didn't look quite right when I took them out of the oven.  But while I was waiting, I decided to wrap a few gifts.  A few turned into all of them.  Wrapping gifts is one of my least favorite Christmas chores (along with licking envelopes!), so while I was at it, I figured I might as well finish.  I sit on the floor to wrap, and when I got up my back and neck were aching.  I stretched, groaned, and headed into the kitchen where I found the shortbread that I had completely forgotten about.  I looked at it skeptically, broke off a piece, and put it in my mouth... yummy!!  Oh my, it was so good!  I won't say the texture is exactly like regular shortbread, but it's pretty darn close, and the flavor was perfect.  What a treat after all that wrapping!  I found God today in my new tasty gluten and dairy free shortbread recipe.  Yay!

Leaf Attack

I've written about how much I love to watch falling leaves, and I still do.  But today they were attacking me!  Monday mornings are always hectic for Jeff and I (along with most of the world!) because he has to leave for Maryland.  So we were each doing our various chores to start the day, caught up in our own worlds.  Then it was time for him to go.  I always walk out to the car with him unless the weather is really bad.  Today, there was a light rain and some wind, but nothing major.  We said our goodbyes, I gave him a hug, and turned to go inside when the wind blew a bunch of leaves down over me.  They were wet with rain so they were heavier than normal.  I had fought a few of them off and turned around when Jeff called out that one was still stuck in my hair.  Just as I pulled it out, another bunch flew down  - it was like they were after me!  I waved my arms around trying to fend them off, and we both started laughing.  It was a comical scene, and the shared laughter over such an oddball event connected us in a way our usual routine goodbyes hadn't.  It's so easy to fall into a rut no matter how much you love someone, and sometimes a little laughter is all it takes to shake things up.  I found God today in those clingy wet leaves that turned a routine goodbye into something more special.

Glorious Beauty

There are days when I have to search for God in my day... and then there are days like today.  The days when He smacks you in the face with something so obvious it can't be denied.  Jeff and I went out to the ocean, and it was very calm with big, long swells breaking close to shore.  We had been watching for just a minute when we spotted dolphins - lots of them.  At least three pods, and they were all so active!  We saw one leap completely out of the water, and several more frolicking just a few yards from the shoreline.  It was breathtaking!  While the dolphins were skirting the shoreline and putting on their show, a flock of brown pelicans came flying by, skimming along the surface of the water, just feet from the dolphins.  And last, but not least, there was a loon or cormorant, swimming and diving in the midst of it all.  The sun was shining brightly to the south, and dark, dramatic clouds filled the sky to the north, so the ocean sparkled on one end and shimmered on the other.  I exclaimed to Jeff, "We live in paradise!!"  I was totally filled with the glorious beauty of God's natural world, and yes, without a doubt, that is where I found Him today.

Faux Rainfall

Jeff and I saw a dense fog when we stepped out the front door for our walk this morning, and I thought I heard rain.  We stopped but didn't feel any raindrops so we headed on out.  It had obviously been raining earlier because there were large puddles in the road.  A little farther along we passed between two empty wooded lots and the sound of rain falling was very strong.  It was just leftover drops falling from the leaves but it sounded like it was raining from the sky.  This wasn't just a little pitter-patter here and there, this was a steady rainfall sound!  I've never experienced anything like it.  It was so odd to be walking outside and hearing rain but not feeling it - like there was an invisible umbrella over my head.  That coupled with the dense fog made for a super-cool walk this morning.  I found God in the faux rainfall on our walk today.