I will lift up my eyes . . . from whence cometh my help,
Psalm 121:1
Hello Friend,
Seven days till Christmas. May I guess how you feel? Exhausted? In despair? Frantic? Stressed? Worried about climbing credit card debt? Remembering holidays past with a mixture of nostalgia or regret? Sometimes I feel sadness that my children are grown and Jim and I no longer have little ones infusing us with the magic of Christmas— wonder in their little eyes at every glittering tree, and anticipating of the coming of Santa on Christmas morn. Very few of us manage the holidays with serenity.
May I suggest you take a refreshing break. Take a walk outside your front door and look up. You don’t have to travel to the mountains. The grandeur of God is all around. I love to sit on my screen porch and just put everything on hold. I love the oak tree, the faded blue potting bench with my growing herbs lavishly sprawling across each shelf-- the fragrance of rosemary and basil. I love to feel the slight chill and a soft breeze on my cheeks. Oh, and rocking in my old wicker chair. Calming me as nothing else. If only we will take the time, nature will heal us, sustain us, and renew us, for at least an hour. Slow down. Become aware of beauty and love and the rhythm of life. Storms blow, but tomorrow will bring warmth and sunshine. That’s how life happens. That’s how I gain courage and strength. This frantic pace is momentary in the span of time. I can choose to slow down. I will slow down. I will remember. The Grace of God. The wonder of nature which reminds us to look up.
Practice self-care. Pause. Look up. God will take care of you if you allow him.
Linda