Sunday, November 14, 2010

Early Morning Reflections in Real Time

It is very early on Sunday morning as I sit here writing this.  The coffee is ready and the house is quiet except for the sound of my fingers adding words that you are reading here.  Whatever I am allergic to is apparently still blooming because I've awakened again - as I normally do these days - stopped up.  But I am hoping that today will be a better day than yesterday and that the trend will continue for the coming week. 

The sun is shining and I have the privilege to go to church in a couple of hours.  Not everyone does.  Some because they don't have the freedom to do so, and others because they don't understand why they would want to spend a glorious Sunday morning awake and in corporate worship.  I know that in November of each year, our church does its annual giving campaign, and my attendance gets more spotty than it should.  But today, I am looking forward to taking my place, raising my voice, and being blessed.  I hope that I may even have the opportunity to bless someone else by being in the right place at the right time.  You never know.

In my house today are three wonderful people that I'm crazy about.  This is not normally the case.  My daughter is home from college for the weekend because she needed a little time to escape.  It wasn't exactly planned, and she'd really rather have been at the football game yesterday being a normal college student and loving life, but she had a rough week.  I'm just glad that she chooses to come home when life becomes too much instead of creating a shell or shutting the rest of the world out.  I hope that her next three weeks are full, busy, and satisfying and that she won't feel overwhelmed or will waste time wishing things were different.  Nothing happens that God does not permit.  If it is happening to you and you aren't happy about it...then you have to simply trust that something better is on the way.  I know I believe that. 

She'll be home for Christmas - after finals - in just a few weeks for a little over a month.  She worries that she'll be bored, I'm afraid.  And some days...she probably will.  What she doesn't know is that one day she will long to be back home again surrounded by the love of her family with as few cares in the world as she has right now.  At least, that's the way I felt after I finally left the nest and had all of those grownup things like bills and work to stress about and deal with through the years.

My son is halfway through his senior year in a few weeks.  He changes daily...yet wonders why I stare at him from time to time.  He no doubt thinks I'm just doing it to be annoying.  I suppose I'm looking for the little boy that he was in the face of the young man who eats a tremendous amount of food and has an opinion about almost everything.  He has become the "food police" around here...and cannot bear to see us eating something that he knows is not in our best interest.  He is smart and funny and obsessed with Call of Duty on Xbox right now.  I wish he put that time into his studies, but he seems to believe that he can manage his time.  Guess we'll find out in a few weeks.  He is one of those people that has a quiet confidence in himself and his abilities and I really admire that.  I don't doubt that he will do well in life at whatever he chooses to do.  Getting him to actually choose will be the tricky part.

David is reading about what is going on in the world from the many blogs and websites that he frequents each morning.  Occasionally, he sends me a link to something he finds interesting and I'm amazed at what he is learning.  For someone who did not enjoy the classroom very much...he spends an extraordinary amount of time absorbing information.  He can not only explain his positions...he can quietly but convincingly defend them.  I admire that and enjoy watching someone assume that he is as laid-back as he appears to be trying to win with him.  They know not with what they are messing. 

Today has a lot of potential.  I don't have to report for work, and the chores that I have remaining are easily managed in just a couple of hours if I'm lucky.  Well, it could take hours to put away this folded laundry, but I'm hoping for the best.

The past few weeks have been difficult for people that I love, but the news that I'm receiving seems to carry some rays of sunshine that healing is on the way.  I also have one person close to me who is dealing with a soured relationship, but I honestly believe that once the pain subsides a bit from the wounded pride, that all will be well.  I don't think that people understand how relationships should work these days anyway.  We are all sold a bill of goods about finding "true love" and our "soulmate."  Maybe some people do.  Others just seem to find a person that brings out the best in them, can tolerate their weaknesses, and who has the commitment to stay the course.  I don't know what that's called exactly...but it seems to work for an awful lot of people.  I think that we should all celebrate when we find any relationship that works...in our families, our friendships or our love relationships. 

I believe that love finds us when we are unaware and most frequently through friends, fate, or common ground.  David and I found each other through the first two...I went home with a girlfriend for the weekend and he happened to see her car and chose to stop.  He went out with us that night...and the rest is history.  I know other people who met through work, in the youth group at their church, or because they were volunteering together.  I just know that when it works...you just know.  There is little doubt...and virtually no worry.  There is just a longing to be together, and a mutual respect for each other's feelings, hopes and dreams.  It is a two way street.  When something doesn't work out, it is usually easy to leave the blame at one or the other's feet.  But the truth is...there is something better on the way.  Just keep moving forward...and don't look back.

The world is waking up now...I can hear stirrings that will translate into the beginning of my day as I normally know it.  The dogs are up and will want to be let out and then fed.  The dishes will need to be dealt with along with everything else.  I do love my quiet time where I can just sit here and reflect before I jump into life as I know it.  I equally appreciate that I have a purpose for being here...even if it involves endless laundry.

Yes, today has the promise to be a good day.  I don't know if it will follow through on its potential, or if it will be one of those that at the end of the day will find me saying, "I'm SO glad THAT'S over."  It could easily go either way.  The fact that it has the potential for greatness, though, gives me a little bit of hope.  Sometimes we just need a tiny bit of hope to turn into the faith we need to propel us forward.  Then, as each day passes, we add that little bit to the next and so forth...until we are walking more comfortably and confidently again. 

I'm sincerely looking forward to that. 

So, I hope that you are having a good day today.  I hope that your life is full of joy and pleasant surprises and that you have a lot to look forward to and be grateful for this Sunday morning.  If you are walking by faith and are focusing more in putting one foot in front of the other than in admiring the scenery...I hope that something will happen that will illuminate your path a little more brightly today so that you can rest your spirit a bit.  After all, Sunday IS a day of rest.  Enjoy your day.

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