Talking about Gabby Douglas

Talk about ANYTHING…..well, not Jesus, though.

  So here’s the deal.  My wife loves the internet.  I use it here and there, but would call somebody on the phone long before I’d ever tap into skype……kind of a “crooksosaurus” I guess.  Anyway, the upside of it all is that the other day she told me to check out some articles she had found on the internet about a young girl in the Olympics.  So, I did, and it is a good illustration of an ongoing debate/ battle in our society.

  The articles were about a young gymnast named Gabby Douglas.  Lots to see in these things.  What is really bad, is that I LOVE the gymnastic events, and somehow missed them all……that is really disappointing.  Anyway, so if you missed it, too, then know that 16 year old Gabby won the gold medal in one of the women’s events spectacularly.  Before and after, she acknowledge Christ as her source.  In addition, her parents are in the process of going through a divorce, so that also makes her relevant for us.

  Posted some thoughts on the public witness of folks the other day, here is another example.  The articles she sent me to included three from various places (maybe I ought to post the links below….you can check).  One lady didn’t like the idea of Gabby speaking about God, because it doesn’t fit her image of what God should be like or how Christians should behave.  (So is it okay for some of us to not like how THAT LADY practices HER Christian faith, too, or is it only people like Gabby that are out of bounds?)

  Then there is another person who wrote about the issue of whether Gabby believed God helped her win the gold medal, believing that she does.  Well, of COURSE she does.  In fact, God helped every medalist there to win!  There is air to breathe, right?  They do have brains and muscles that work, right?  It’s just that Gabby is one of those who recognizes that God has done things like that for her, and some others are oblivious to it.

  What may be interesting, and what I suspect will be the case….certainly hope so, (but haven’t seen cause have been pretty tied up of late), is whether she understands that God is her source and help when she loses as well as when she wins.  I hear she didn’t win in another event and was disappointed.   Does that mean God didn’t back her anymore?  Ridiculous! 

  Athletes (and other professions as well who really understand the scriptures), understand that God’s help is for us to be able to be the best person in character that we can be….because the kind of person we are is what God really cares most about.  They also understand that we seek God’s help that we may do our best, and do so in a way that brings HIM glory rather than simply ourselves.  And that what God does through us might be something God can use to make a difference in the lives of others.  These things are true whether it is bouncing around on floor mats, or throwing footballs, or mounting brakes onto cars, or serving in Congress, or writing blogs!  It’s all one and the same, all we do is to be done for the glory of God, to the best of our ability, with the strength and gifts that God provides. 

  So Gabby, keep going.  God is using you, because I don’t even know you, didn’t even see your performance, and yet find that your stand for Christ is being bounced around the internet to somebody like me, thousands of miles away.  Gabby, have fun, enjoy the ride, life is too short to worry too much about all the garbage that comes our way.  And, Gabby, I am sorry you had to go through watching your folks marriage fall apart.  Maybe that will change one day.  But I am glad you have learned already that your life does not have to be limited because of that one event over which you had no control.  You are an example of the fact that God can still do great things through people committed to him, even out of circumstances that don’t seem so good at the time.  (Gee, I wonder if she even reads my blog?  Maybe I should invite her to subscribe!)

TL:dr  Can’t do one sentence, but Gabby Douglas is creating a buzz, and it even landed on MY blog!

The Christian and the Olympics..another story

Olympics one more time…….

So did you hear the story on KLOVE about the David Boudia, winner of a Bronze Medal at the Olympics this year.  You can hear it if you want by going to the following link:

http://www.klove.com/news/view-category.aspx?id=13

Seems he was in the Olympics 4 years ago to compete, but between then and now was led to Christ by his coach at Purdue.  He now realizes that the bronze medal he has won is just temporary, and that what really matters is that his life glorifies God.  He is a diver, and his event was the men’s synchronized 10-meter platform event.  I’m not sure of all the events, but think that is the same as the women’s event I saw some of the other day. 

It’s kind of funny, isn’t it?  We seem to be hearing lots of stories these days about Christian athletes, and most of them are pretty good about giving credit to God, and making sure to emphasize that it isn’t all about winning.  The news media seems never quite sure what to do with these things.   Like the whole “Tebow” items……..now they talk about people “tebowing.”  (If you don’t know much about it, he plays for the Denver Broncos, and publicly kneels to give God thanks, while also being a positive influence on his teammates.  Kind of funny, the news media calls it “tebowing” as if it is something new.  It is only new to them.  Jewish folks and Christians have known of the act for years…..we call it, bowing our heads, kneeling, bending the knee, prostrating oneself…….all of which simply means to put oneself into a humble posture before a God who is greater than we are. 

We do need to be praying for these folks.  They face plenty of ridicule for their stands for Christ, and they do have unique opportunities to speak out for Jesus.  It may not be everybody’s way of doing things, but anything that sets an example is a good thing.

TL:dr  We need to be praying for those who speak for Christ in a culture that doesn’t always agree with what many Christians believe.

Pennies from Heaven!

Laughing with God….aka…..Pennies from Heaven!

Do you believe God has a sense of humor?  I do.  I have seen it lots of times in my life and ministry.  So I have had some pretty funny experiences, lately.  At least, I think the are funny.  Let me set the stage.  We moved in recent years to our new location because we felt God was leading us to do that so as to be available to assist my aging parents.   And we felt pretty confident that it was God leading……have seen multiple confirmations over the passing months.  Additionally, over the last year, I have taken to going on early morning walks, several miles, brisk pace, partly for the sake of the dog’s bladder,  and partly to get this old body of mine into some kind of physical condition.  (And no, they didn’t invite me to try out for the Olympics.)  The other tidbit that is important to the context is that in our Bible study group, we were reviewing the Exodus story, noting especially how God provided for His people during the tough wilderness times of their lives and journey.  Now, to the story:

As many folks are during this tough economic climate, we have to watch pennies pretty closely, and some months things get awfully tight.  I handle much of the financial work in our family, and so, when bills mount up, I especially feel it.  (That, and my wife probably has greater faith than I do in these matters……but that’s another story, too---see the book.)  Anyway, a couple of months ago was out walking the dog about 5:30 in morning, headed on my usual route, and talking with God as we walked.  Since bills were awaiting my return, money was on my mind, and so I was raising the idea that since we were here doing what we felt God had led, surely He would look after the financial aspect of things for us, too….but that I wished it would happen a bit more speedily or in ways other than I was experiencing.  And preferably it should happen before the due date of the bills!  The story of manna from heaven was fresh in my mind, if not actually part of the conversation with God. 

So walking along, just having finished that conversation with God, I happened to glance down to see a shiny nickel laying on the ground.   As I picked it up, I felt as if God was laughing with me and saying, “See, I could drop money to the ground in front of you just as I did the manna for the Israelites when they were going through their wilderness time.”  I laughed, but responded, “yeah, but it’s going to take more than just a few nickels for some of those bills!”  Walking further on…..about a mile or two down the road…….happened to glance down to see a dollar bill on the ground!  I really laughed as I picked it up.  I figure God was, too.  Although, I was also aware the bills needed more than a dollar bill, too.

Time passes, bills get paid one way or another, life goes on.  Another morning the other day.  Same route.  Same dog.  Another month of bills.  Same prayers.   But then, realizing that I wouldn’t have the usual amount of time, I changed my course a bit.  Know what happened?  Sure enough, found money on the ground again.  I took it to mean that God was reminding me He was still around, still aware, still able and willing to provide.  But this time, it was a five dollar bill!!  I laughed.  God probably guffawed at me……if that isn’t too unholy of a thing to do!  Better, I think, but still, not very many bills are only five dollars, are they?  But my little brain is running the numbers…..first a nickel, then a dollar which is twenty times greater, then a five dollar bill which is five times greater……maybe a 50 next, then, who knows?

A couple of days later, still dealing with the monthly bills, still chuckling about the five and God’s little jokes.  Out with the dogs again, but this time, had finished the walk with my wife’s dog, and had my older dog on her shorter route, over by the railroad tracks.  Happen to see a cosmetic case sort of thing laying on the ground….maybe a kid had been playing.  Started to go on, and then thought, maybe I better see what that is, since it was such an odd thing to be in such an odd place.  Pick it up and open it, see a social security card, and realize it is not a makeup case, but some lady’s wallet thingy (a clutch or some such thing).  Figure she must have dropped it, or it had gotten stolen.  Kind of glanced through it a bit to see if there was a driver’s license or something with an address, cause I assume she lives close by.  Don’t find it, just the social security card, the library card, a few credit cards, so decide not to dig too much, and just ran it by the police station later.  Figure they can get the address from the library or something if it isn’t somewhere else in the wallet. 

Are you ahead of me yet?  First a nickel, then a dollar, then a five……now, CREDIT CARDS!!!!   Isn’t God good?  Except I don’t think it was His name on the cards.  And, I took them by the police before I even THOUGHT of using them…..which I wouldn’t have anyway. 

So here’s the deal.  Remember Philippians 4:19…God supplying the needs, or Ephesians 3:20….God doing beyond our imaginations?  Well, I’m kind of figuring I need to keep my eyes open on the upcoming walks.  Expecting maybe some negotiable bearer bonds or T-bills or something.  I’ll let you know.  (Although, Publisher’s Clearing House does keep telling me that I am DEFINITELY in the running…..)

TL:dr   God can teach us important lessons in funny ways as he meets our needs. 

The Christian and the Olympics

Thinking about the Olympics, again...

So how about revisiting the Olympics?  Are you up to being a bit playful with me about it?  Let’s think about some of the events as pictures of other things in our lives.  Hokey, I know, but hey, sometimes hokey can teach us, too! 

First, how about foot races?  Like the sprint……sometimes in the life of faith, people run it like a sprint, they come to God and then have a quick dash of an experience, then it is all over.  Not the best way to live for God.  On the other hand, there are temptations that come into our lives, traps and sins that would drag us down, and in that case sprinting away         is exactly the right response!  However, I think we need to think of our life of faith more like a cross-country or marathon…..we have to be in it for the long haul.  Like a cross-country race, our life’s path may lead through all kinds of terrain, up and down, around unseen bends and dark valleys, but the winners runs faithfully through it all, never quitting until they cross the finish line.  But the image of the relays also applies, because we are to continually be making sure we pass the baton on to individuals prepared to carry it through the next leg of the race.  It is sad that sometimes we Christians neglect to do that, instead clutching the trappings of our faith too tightly, leaving no opportunity for those who will follow after us in life. 

Or maybe you like swimming.  In the swimming competitions, there are the variety of strokes found in some of the events, each stroke with it’s own difficulty and beauty.  Certainly our life contains that kind of variety, if we will observe the value of variety and appreciate the beauty that each stage of life, each relationship, each new day brings.  Sometimes, in swimming, speed is important, but very often, form is the critical factor.  Even when speed matters, the form determines the drag which then affects who wins and who loses.  Maybe in our lives, we need to pay more attention to the form, the way in which we do things, the character issues, and not get too caught up with the fast paced pressures all around us.  I also think about the divers…..again, form is such a big thing.  But I also think there are a lot of people who spend their lives like those divers……it sure is pretty, and makes a big splash, but it’s all over in a minute, nothing that lasts throughout their lives or into eternity.

The gymnasts always impress me.  What a lot of work.  What training and strength, all tempered by grace and beauty.  I was never able to do that kind of stuff.  One of the daughters is good at things like that……I am always amazed when I watch her doing flips or performing on a balance beam.  Anyway, the Olympian gymnasts have to bring everything together to win the medal.  If they do only a simple routine perfectly, they won’t get the points another might who takes on more difficult challenges.  If they focus on the flips and jumps but don’t pay attention to grace and flow, they may win lots of technical points, but lose the meet because of the unbalanced routine.  In your life, is there balance?  Don’t we need to take on challenges sometimes, even though there are easier things we know we can do perfectly?  Don’t we need to mix our lives with music, motion, strength and challenging activity? 

I think about the uneven bars, and the parallel bars.  I don’t know how it doesn’t hurt to slam your body and hands into those bars time and time again!  Maybe it does, but they do it anyway, because they have a goal in mind.  Maybe we need to take on things that hurt, if we are going to make the goal of Christlikeness a reality in our lives.  I have seen relationships that seem to live on the uneven bars…..marriages of spouses with different spiritual goals and priorities……and often, those relationships create problems.  But those folks whose relationships are in parallel, in tandem one with another, work side by side through the various drills that life brings. 

Okay, enough with the events themselves.  However, the overarching theme of Olympic athletes is discipline and the development of maturity in a skill. Christians should really connect with these concepts.  After all, we are expected to be “disciples,” the very root of which entails discipline.  Discipline of your mind, of what you allow in your body, of your handling of time and money.  And maturity in faith, like the development of any Olympic skill, requires time and practice to become all God would desire.  Nothing comes automatically for the growing Christian any more than it does for the Olympian.  We train, we practice, we make mistakes, we learn new ways, we have to break old habits and eliminate flaws.  So with that, let me simply close by saying, how about if both of us, take our role in this world as Christians as if we are Olympians for God, and see if we can win the crown he has waiting for us!  You might remind yourself of Paul’s end of life comment on the race he had run that is found in 2 Timothy 4:6-8.

TL:dr  The faith life has aspects that parallel many athletic events….but we must chose to mimic the right ones if we wish to win. 

The Eternal Olympics

The Eternal Olympics!

Have you been watching the Olympics?  I always watch bits and pieces.  You know, selected events that I enjoy.  I saw some of the opening ceremony the other night.  Frankly, I’m not a big fan of all that hoopla, turning something that is supposed to be a special event about supposedly amateur competitions between athletes, not a venue for entertainers and producers.  So for me, the highlight that night was the parade of nations, where the competing athletes proudly walk sporting their national costume and flags.  I am always especially impressed by those countries that can only send 3 or 4 to the competition…..and there were several of those this year.  Anyway, I guess other folks think all the other fanfare is important, too……just not to me. 

  So during one of the swimming events, there was a commercial (I don’t recall who, but think it was Citi) in which all these individuals are talking about all the things they DIDN’T do over the last year.  One says he missed the hit movie, another hasn’t read the latest best seller, another hadn’t ordered dessert for a year….that sort of thing.  And, of course, all of them have one thing in common:  they were working instead to get ready to be able to compete in the Olympic games.  Kind of a cool commercial, I thought. 

  But there is one Bible verse that I always think of at times like this.  It is found in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27.  Paul, too, was familiar with athletic competitions……there were hippodromes and stadiums and coliseums all dedicated to athletic competitions during Paul’s day, and he uses that familiarity in this passage.  He tells us that all these athletes (like these we see today) work hard to discipline themselves and prepare themselves for the day of competition.  The same thing the commercial explains….the discipline of leaving some things aside in order to be able to focus on the goal of winning the prize…..today, a gold medal, in Paul’s day, a laurel perhaps.  In fact, Paul points out they are seeking the prize, and prepare accordingly.  But then, he goes on to point out that the prize they are seeking is perishable, but as Christians, we are pursuing an eternal prize.  He ends with the challenge to make sure we are as disciplined in our pursuit of the eternal prize as those athletes are in their preparation for their events.

  So what is YOUR answer?  Think about those athletes in the commercial, and all the things they gave up to focus on Olympic preparation.  Do you approach your Christian faith with the same dedication and effort?  I wonder about this a lot as I pass health clubs and see people working out to build their bodies, or observe them out walking and jogging for the same purpose….but don’t see them taking the same kind of disciplined care of their souls in church or scripture.  I wonder what the churches in our country would be like if those attending put in the same kind of discipline and effort into the spiritual lives and ministries as the Olympic athletes do for their big events.  Or, more to a point, how would YOUR life, or MINE, be different if either of us put forth that discipline and effort?  How about finding out?  Don’t just go for the gold….it is destined to perish…..go for that eternal crown  in glory!

TL:dr  The Olympic athletes set a great example and challenge for we Christians in our pursuit of spiritual greatness.

Water the goodness in your heart!

We are in Kansas, which is one of many states in drought conditions.  We have watered bushes, tomato plants, roses, flowers, trees…..the plant kingdom around here is simply not very happy.  You really see it with all the brown stalks in the cornfields.  Told somebody I’m just going to plant cactus next year!  Anyway, as I rode my bike up to the house the other day, it occurred to me that the weeds didn’t seem to mind the drought at all…..they are doing just fine!  Seems to me there’s a lesson in that.  When in drought times of your life…..such as a divorce…..it is critical that you carefully water and nurture the good plantings in your heart, because the weeds will grow freely if you don’t.  I pulled a bunch of weeds out of the strawberry patch yesterday…..maybe you need to pull a few out of your heart.  Seems to me somebody once gave a parable about the importance of tending the soil of your heart……..Mark 4 maybe?  Just a thought.  

Somebody wishes they had this……..

  

Well, been visiting with a few friends and acquaintances the last couple of days.  Received some comments regarding the way that the blog is being shared and as they surprised me I thought I would share them.  

I received a comment from a friend that told me of a relative who is reading my blogs and about the book and, apparently is passing the info along to friends they know who are struggling.  That relative had been divorced years ago, and had commented that he/she wished something like this had been available during his/her divorce.  Which is EXACTLY why I have been writing what I have…..especially the book.  Several divorced folks lately have indicated their agreement with me that there is such a dearth of material like this available to help Christian folks through times of divorce.  Hopefully, my musings can help fill that gap for those folks somewhat.  Believe me, when you are experiencing the tumult of divorce, you are desperately hungry for something like this to help you through it. 

Another friend who has pretty much read the whole book while dealing with his divorce made what I thought was a good observation.  He said that it wasn’t so much that I offered all the answers and solutions (I don’t), as it was that in reading the devotions in the book, he really appreciated the way it helped him realize that what felt so bizarre to him actually was something shared by others going through divorce, that it was kind of “normal,” and that made him feel less alone and a bit reassured……especially since he knows me well enough to know I have made it through.  He also says he appreciated that I shared how I wrestled with the issues…..that he may not come to the same solutions, but it helped him as he was sorting things out for himself.  Just so you know.

And then, another person told me that she had shared with her pastor one of the blog entries that related specifically to the experience of divorce.  When she did, she said he commented that the post was actually pretty helpful to him, that it really did fit well with his experiences pastoring folks who were going through divorce.  He also said it helped him have a better sense of what those folks must be going through.  Which was echoed by another friend who has also already read the book.  She told me she believes every pastor ought to read this book, because, not being divorced herself, she feels like it so helped her understand better what divorcing people are going through, and made her more sensitive to their struggles.  Actually, have heard that a couple of times.

But the truth is, it only gives a hint at the experience.  I remember at my first church, when as a young pastor I was trying to help people in the midst of divorce, how it was hard for me to understand it very well.  I did try.   But when I went through my divorce, I realized how little I truly comprehended.  It is an indescribable experience.  But it is my hope that sharing some of it as best I can, may help someone reading it to be just a little better in their encouragement and ministry to the divorced people around them.  That is why I have asked that you pass the link along to others, because somewhere down the line there is somebody who needs the encouragement and hope they can find through these little reflections.

There is one other story….but that is for another blog.  My wife says you will really get a kick out of……….maybe tomorrow……

P.S.  If you have some extra rain where you live, we’d appreciate you sending some of it our way……

TL:DR  Hard times are opportunities for bad habits to take root in our lives.  And some stories to share.

The Parable of the Pansy

      ...and the intensity of divorce

  So, in my family, I plant the flowers, my wife plants the vegetable garden.  I don’t know about you, but when I look at flowers, it seems to me that the color of a pansy is about one of the most intense of colors in the flower world.  Oh, I know, tulips and roses can be pretty intense, and cannas are right up there, too.  There are plenty, so you flower folks who really know what you are doing may easily dispute the assertion, but, as I said, I think the color of pansies is about the most intense colors we find.  The picture I posted is, of course, of pansies I saw along the side of the road at a house somewhere up in the Rockies around Aspen.  Beautiful, aren’t they? 

  We actually drove all the way out to Reno and Tahoe from here in Kansas for a  nephew’s wedding…..they had me perform the ceremony.  That was kind of cool, I thought.  And we drove back through Arches National Park and across Colorado where we got to visit with friends.  (All of which, by the way, is why I haven’t been posting so many blogs recently……just so much to do and see!!)

  Well, the intensity of the flower color, along with some other conversations and experiences got me to thinking about something I wanted to share on the blog…….especially for those of you who have never been divorced.  Over the years of pastoring, there have been many times I have been involved in offering support and encouragement to folks whose marriages were ending in divorce.  I remember well how difficult it was to find the right words for the time when words did not seem to be enough.  I remember some of those folks sitting in my office, so utterly sad, so devastated, or so angry or listless.  Sometimes they remained almost as if they just didn’t want to leave, to be alone.  I offered the best encouragement I knew how to offer, but the truth is, I really didn’t have a clue.  Not until my divorce.  And then, there were so many experiences, struggles and surprises.

  What may have surprised me the most was the intensity of the emotions.  I have not suffered the experience of having a very close loved one die, so I cannot really offer a useful comparison to that.  And I suppose the emotional responses really vary from person too person…..at least, that is what I have observed.  But I was overwhelmed by how utterly intense and consuming the various emotions were in the midst of that ugly process of divorce.  Times of utter sadness.  Other times of desperate loneliness.  An inner agony that just ached at the loss.  Anger that would be stirred at inconsiderate behaviors or frustrations with the courts.  It wasn’t so much the various emotions, but how intense they are that I could not have guessed would be the case.  I was encouraged at the time when I heard another refer to the extreme sense of loneliness…..at least I wasn’t the only one! 

  If you have not experienced divorce, and are trying to help someone who is, perhaps it might help a bit if you realize the intensity of emotional upheaval they are experiencing.  Compare a pansy to a petunia, and maybe that difference could help you understand.  Or think of the adrenaline rush of the rollercoaster or bungee jumping…..but then extend it way beyond those few seconds of the ride to the days, weeks and months involved in divorce. 

Then you have a hint of what it is like.  No wonder those folks lingered so long in the office….they were hurting even more than I knew.  How important it is in those times to know that someone cares.  Tell those YOU know of your care for their struggles.  I’ll share some other pictures later……got some really cool shots, think you will enjoy them.

TL:dr  Divorce creates extreme emotions that are not always comprehended by those around them.  And pansies are pretty!

The Value of Feedback

Got a few emails from blog readers recently, and wanted to share some things that struck me as I read over them.  And, by the way, it is always good to hear feedback from you readers…..both encouragement and suggestions are always appreciated. 

Anyway, there were four emails in particular that caused me to reflect.  One was from a young fellow in ministry, who is happily married.  In his case, he didn’t feel the need to connect with this blog, because it wasn’t relevant for his life.  I am very pleased that is the case, it implies his marriage is sound and things are going well…..and that is always good. 

The second email was from a pastor who has long been retired, and his comment was that in reading through the posts, he has learned a lot about what it must be like to have to go through a divorce.  That made him appreciate the many faithful years he and his wife have had in marriage, and all the things he was spared by not having experienced divorce.  But, interestingly enough, he also observed parallels between the divorce experience and other life experiences of separations, losses and fresh starts, and applied what he read to those situations.

The third email was from the wife of a pastor who has been in ministry many years.  They, too, are happily married and have been for many years.  She tells me that reading the blog has given her an awareness about these things that will impact her interactions with people divorcing, that she anticipates being more sensitive, more patient……other things. 

All of that is kind of the point of the whole thing.  If you are not divorced or connected with someone who is divorcing, then much of this may not apply to your life at all.  On the other hand, like the second person, it may help you appreciate what you DO have in your life, and there may be lessons that apply in other areas of your life.  OR…..and this is my favorite……if you are not directly impacted with divorce, the blog and book may help you understand better the great struggle that divorcing people often experience.  These may give you tools and sensitivity to be an effective friend and support for struggling friends.  Additionally, it gives you something you can refer your friends to for their own participation or benefit……encourage them to download the book (still working out details on the paper copy…will let you know), or send them the link to the blog.  They don’t have to be alone.

And then, there is the fourth email.  It was from a woman who is a widow.  She has found that much of the material in the book and on the blog can easily be adapted to the experiences she has had in her widowhood.  Perhaps you, too, have areas in your life that can be enhanced and enriched through these contacts.  Well, whatever your track you fit into, thanks for reading!

TL:DR  People have found varying usefulness to the things shared in the blog, whether divorced or not.  It all depends on one’s perspective.

God all around us

Know right now, I am NOT an ornithologist.  Not even a bird watcher.  Not really.  But I do notice them.  Remember that old song, “May the Bluebird of Happiness Fly Up Your Nose,”……..no, better not go there.  Nonetheless, while the wife and I were down at the lake, we were wandering toward the shore from the cabin, and happened across a bluebird that appeared to me to be rather young, which may account for what we noticed.  Didn’t look like the bluebirds I have seen before…..but it never turned to face us, so I didn’t get a front view.  It was puttering around on the ground about 5 yards from us…..not sure what it was looking for, but it was just kind of wandering around there.  My wife commented, and I agreed, that it was about the brightest blue she had ever seen in a bluebird.  It really was.  Almost iridescent…..and the bluebird probably doesn’t even know what that word means!  Kind of a cool serendipity sort of moment.  We stood and watched it until it finally flew away.  Really striking.

One of my favorite quotes was written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.  It goes like this:

                     “Earth's crammed with heaven,
                     But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
                    The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.”

That bird was a good example.  All around us, every day, there are sights, sounds and moments of wonder and beauty, if we will stop to look and take off our shoes, instead of gorging ourselves with the blackberries.  That was a pretty cool moment for me, probably for us, but definitely for me.  I also got a kick out of the little fish that would come and eat what we had stirred up on the rocks by the shore with our feet…..even getting within an inch of my toes to get to whatever it was as they flitted around in the water.  Fish are fast, you know that?  Well, hope you have some moments today. I plan on doing so.

TL:DR  A chance encounter with a beautiful bluebird reminds us that there are special touches of God all around us if we look to see them.

Hey, really appreciate the kind words and support on the book from all of you who have posted and emailed.  I am pretty optimistic that the  Spring/Summer volume will be completed before too long.  If you have any friends who need to know more, feel free to share the email address:  seasonsofdivorce@gmail.com and I will be glad to answer questions.  More later!