Rising Mist

It was a cold morning but warming fast.  The mist rising off the pond was beautiful, and this is where I found God today.

A Deep Breath

When I pray, meditate, or do yoga, I often consciously breathe God in.  But today I found God in a deep breath!  I had a lot to do today and was feeling extra tired when I got home.  But I still had a few more things to take care of - sound familiar?  So when I finally finished, I sank down on the couch, took a deep breath... and there He was.  Totally unexpected - calming me, relaxing me, taking on my long day... all in the space of a breath.

One of Those Days

It's was one of those hectic, stressful days, and the turmoil in the weather just fit right in.  One minute it was sunny, the next raining, and the wind blowing like crazy the whole time.  So I put on some music and came across one of my all-time favorite pieces by Yanni - "The End of August".  If this isn't music to "soothe the savage beast", I don't know what is.  The dreamy piano and the soul-stirring violin - this is definitely where I found God today.  If you'd like to hear it, click the link. (The actual song is under 4 minutes, the video is longer.)

The End of August by Yanni

Blackberry Cobbler

Jeff and our son, Morgan, left for a business trip today.  Morgan lives in Maryland so I don't see him often, but since he works with Jeff I get to send stuff up to him once in a while.  Morgan is fasting for Lent the Greek Orthodox way - no meat (including eggs) and no dairy until Easter.  It's hard to find things to eat with no meat and no dairy - especially when you're traveling.  So I decided to bake one of his favorite things for Jeff to take to him - blackberry cobbler.  It just so happens the recipe I use has no eggs and since I can't eat dairy anyway, I've already adapted it for that.  So after church, I came home and got to work measuring, mixing...  And as I was dropping in the blackberries a contentment came over me.  It felt so good to be doing the "Mom" thing for my boy (even though he's a man now!); especially at a time when I know he can really use it.  And that is where I found God today - being Mom.

Beautiful Words

My sister-in-law's family suffered a great loss recently, and today they were memorializing their lost loved one.  My sister-in-law and my niece posted beautiful thoughts in memory of her.  This is all we can do as humans when faced with tragedy.  Feel for each other, grieve for one another, pray for each other and hope that our words can bring some comfort.  I pray for them and their family, and I found God today in their beautiful words.

The Stick

Today's entry is a little offbeat.  I'm always finding God in small ways, and today was a very small way but significant - at least to me.
A few days ago someone had let their dog do his business right in the middle of the sidewalk.  I've watched for it during my walk so as not to end up with an unfortunate mess stuck in my shoes.  Well today I was watching all the cool, grey colors in the sky (see the pictures below!) and totally not paying attention to where I was stepping.  When suddenly, I tripped over a stick which caused me to take an exaggerated step forward, missing - you guessed it - the doggie droppings!  First words out of my mouth were "Thank you, Lord!".  Now it might not be the grandest image of where I found God, but I sure was grateful that He was there watching my step while I was watching His lovely sky.

Soup and Sweets

We were just talking yesterday at our Pastoral Care meeting about how giving food makes us feel good.  Well, I got to do that today!  I had made a huge pot of soup and a cake yesterday.  Today, I was making chocolate peanut butter cookies (all gluten and dairy free, of course!).  I had way too much so I called my dad to come over and take some home. He brought my mom with him, but she waited in the car.  As I've mentioned before, she has dementia.  At this point she really can't be left alone for long, but she's also not very mobile.  Anyway, I walked out to see her before they left.  I think she knew it was me because she said "Hi, Darlin'!" right away.  It made me smile to hear her sound like her old self.  I told her I was sending some goodies home with her, and she seemed happy about that.  I know my dad was!  But more than anything, I was happy - very happy to be able to give them some food made with love.  And that is where I found God today - in the joy of giving soup and sweets to my mom and dad.