Thanksgiving: A Journey to Joy

It’s Thanksgiving Eve
And all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring,
Not even a –

Wait! That doesn’t quite work for the night before Thanksgiving, now does it?

On the night before Thanksgiving, there’s plenty a stirring going on! There’s stirring of dust as you’re frantically cleaning. There’s stirring of batter, pumpkin purée, sauces and all sorts of yummy creations for the Thanksgiving feast. There’s stirring of refrigerator space as you’re struggling to make room for just one more casserole, and there’s even a bit of stirring of your sanity as you ask yourself why you keep doing all this work every year!

Is it worth it?

I don’t know. I don’t do it! Hahahahaha!

I’m sorry. (Hehehe!) That was wrong. (Hehe!)

But the meme floating around out there is absolutely true. My family has accepted my lack of culinary skills; therefore, my contributions to Thanksgiving dinner are the rolls and the drinks. Oh, and the green bean casserole because that requires no skill whatsoever!

Don’t worry, though, my lack of contributions on the front end is fully compensated by my active participation in the aftermath. Isn’t that how it should be?

After all of these blessings:

1. A mother who lovingly prepares Thanksgiving dinner for her children and grandchildren, even if she isn’t feeling well, even when the kitchen is too hot from all the cooking, even when she’s been hinting that one of her children with more space ought to offer to host Thanksgiving next year (She has six kids. There’s no way she could be talking about me! 😉 )

2. Mom’s homemade dressing

3. and squash casserole

4. and sweet potato casserole

5. and pumpkin pie (I should probably move on from the menu items, shouldn’t I?)

6. A father who lovingly helps rearrange the furniture to accommodate “the gathering”, who always reminds his family to be thankful and who always points us to the One who is the Giver of our blessings

How could I not jump in and help with the dishes, put away leftovers and straighten up the kitchen to show my gratitude?

Yep. Thanksgiving is more than simply giving our thanks to God for the blessings He bestows. It’s also showing our gratitude to family, friends, co-workers and even strangers who bless us along our journey to Joy.

“And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Remember to show your gratitude to those around you. The joy it brings to your soul is incomparable!

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Less Than

You put yourself out there; you laid it all down

But your heart, defenseless, was left on the ground.

Now you’ve resigned to believe what’s untrue –

That you aren’t enough to have someone love you.

 

You’ve attempted and failed – the times you can’t count.

You’ve heard “no”, been rejected. Now you have doubts

That it’s even worth all the heartache and pain

To reach for a dream you will never attain.

 

You’ve accepted your fate; you’ve given up hope

But before you reach the end of your rope,   

Let me offer this truth you must understand:

Never let anyone make you feel less than -

 

Less than enough to walk by their side,

Less than enough to bring joy to this life,

Less than enough to be loved and accepted,

Less than enough to feel warm and protected.

 

You are a force with which no one can reckon!

Your presence is purposed; so forget imperfections.

Don’t listen to insults and shade cast your way.

Haters speak loudest when they are afraid -

 

Afraid of what might shine a light on their flaws

And expose their dark secrets in closets of halls

That display their accolades, trophies and bling -

Meaningless trinkets, all temporary things.

 

Look. Life will make you feel lost and alone.

Betrayal and heartache will call your soul home

And those you hold dearest may all disappear

But you’ll be okay and this is why, my dear:

 

You are not less than; you are more than enough

To rebound, to stand, to fight back, to be tough,

To shake dust from your shoes and shine like a star -

You’re enough!

You are more than!

Yes, that’s what you are!

A Letter to Humanity: Confession

I saw you the other day standing alone under a bridge.  You were watching the cars zoom past you while you were having a conversation with yourself.  No one waved to you.  No one stopped to see if you were okay – no one, including me.

I watched you at the street corner as I sat at a traffic light.  You were a new face at this busy intersection.  The sign you were holding read, “Hungry disabled veteran.”  I had three boxes full of leftovers from my birthday dinner.  I did not offer anything.

I passed you in the school parking lot yesterday morning.  Our children played together at a local play area last week, yet you walked right past me as if you did not recognize me.  You did not say, “Hello.”  You did not even acknowledge my presence.  But, I did not speak to you, either.

You were struggling with your baby and all her baby things.  As you were leaving the restaurant, I heard something hit the ground.  I turned to see a baby bottle lying beside my seat.  The gentleman at the next table offered help while I continued my lunch conversation.

I wonder how many times I have passed you by without a glance, without a thought.  How many times have you crossed my path without my recognition?  How many times have I accused you of self-centeredness when I was the one who neglected to reach out to you?  Can I count the times?  Can you?

Have I become so selfish that I no longer recognize your face?  Am I so blind that I no longer see your need and so deaf that I no longer hear your cries?  Yes!  I am engrossed in my own desires, my own life and my own world to such a degree that I see nothing but what is mine.  And still I wonder where you are when I am in need.  Surely, you are thoughtful enough to remember me!

I was not intended to live life this way; I was not meant to close my eyes to the world around me, to live in seclusion and to seek my own satisfaction no matter the cost to others.  I was created to share, to fellowship, to touch, to help, to heal, to love.  Still, when I saw you hungry and thirsty, I did not feed you.  When I saw you homeless and shivering, I did not shelter you.  When I saw you sick and in prison, I did not help you.  Very little effort was required – a smile, a wave, a hug, a word – but I could not be bothered.  I failed you and I failed the One who sent me to you.

I saw you standing along the roadside.  You were having a conversation but this time, you were not alone.  A man was holding your hands in his as he said a prayer for you….

That should have been me.

Happiness in Uncertainty

“I know one thing for sure,” my husband declared as he walked through our bedroom door with a tall glass of sweet tea in his hand. The statement came out of nowhere but was made as if the two of us had finished a long debate on some deep subject about which neither of us were able to come to any conclusion and the only way to end such a debate was to state a matter of certainty. It’s highly possible, though, that my husband had debated the matter all in his head prior to entering our room and felt the need to sum it up for me with his enlightened statement of truth.

No matter, I was curious and eagerly inquired of his certainty. “What’s that?” I asked.

He paused for a brief moment at the foot of our bed as if searching for the perfect words to express his great truth. Finally he replied, “Give me a minute. I’m trying to remember what I was going to tell you.” Then he lifted his glass and took a long drink of sweet tea as I laughed at his forgetfulness.

And I did laugh – not because I was mocking him (well, maybe just a little – okay! A lot!) but because that brief conversation with my husband pretty much sums up my life. When I think I have it all figured out, life always takes a surprising turn and everything I thought I knew for certain gets thrown out the window. I find myself stumped and perplexed around every bend and when called upon to take action or make a decision or simply respond, I hear myself saying, “Uhm. Give me a minute.”

Ah, but maybe that’s the certainty: Life is uncertain. And maybe that’s what makes life worth living. If I had all the answers, if I knew every situation I would face, what kind of life would that be? Sure, if I knew what problems await me tomorrow, I could take steps to avoid them. But what if by avoiding a problem, I miss a valuable lesson that could help me in the future or make me a better me? And wouldn’t knowing all the good that was coming my way take some of the joy out of the blessing?

I don’t know.

I do know that in my moments of uncertainty, I can always look to the One who knows it all. He holds my every moment in His hands and He is working them all for my good. That doesn’t mean I won’t face any problems or that I won’t have those times when all I want to do is run and hide because I don’t have any answers and can’t seem to figure anything out. But it does mean that I don’t have to face any of my moments of uncertainty alone.

Yes, yes, life is uncertain. But there is one thing I know for sure…

You’ll have to give me a minute, though. I’m trying to remember what it is. 😉

Because We All Need It

Don’t let today pass you by.

Call someone you haven’t spoken to in a while.

Send a text, an email, a tweet, a shoutout on Facebook.

Give a hug, a fist bump or a pat on the back.

Say a kind word; give a compliment; share a laugh!

Or simply share a smile.

I say it over and over but it is often the smallest actions that make the biggest impact in our lives.

Who will you encourage TODAY?

Breathe… Finally

I promised you a song almost three years ago. You can read my original Post of encouragement here.  

Well, without further ado, my debut of “Breathe.” (Click the orange word “Breathe” to take you to a YouTube video. Don’t click the picture below – my blog format doesn’t allow me to post videos!)

The video is definitely not quality material. I made it to post to my Facebook page because I felt like the message couldn’t wait. There is so much going on in this world. There are so many struggles, so much loss, so much heartache and so much fear. We need to remember to breathe. There is life sustaining hope with each breath we take.

So, remember, no matter what you are going through today,

“You’ll find healing,

You’ll find hope,

You’ll find peace that won’t let go,

When you BREATHE.”

 

Don’t Stay

 

It only takes a moment

To slip into the deep.

The darkness, though familiar,

Your soul it mustn’t keep.

 

For if you found a way within,

There’s surely a way out.

The question is, Will you leave

Or will you linger about?

Living Every Minute

Who’d’ve thunk it?

Surely not me.

But it happened and here I am, tapping away at the keyboard trying to explain it.

You see, I watched a movie. It was a kids’ movie, I suppose. It was animated. Parental Guidance was suggested. However, my kids are no longer kids so I watched alone. No parental guidance needed.

Disney’s Soul was the afternoon’s movie of choice. Have you seen it?

To be honest, I wasn’t planning on watching it. I wasn’t anxious to see Disney’s take on the afterlife and I surely wasn’t expecting to see their take on how we become who we are. But I was bored. The movie was about a music lover so I watched…

I don’t think I’ve ever had a children’s movie touch me so deeply.

I cried so many times during this movie. I could see myself in the main character, Joe, a middle-school band teacher whose dreams of being a jazz player only seemed to bring him disappointment and frustration.

I could hear myself screaming with Joe as he desperately explained why he kept pursuing his dreams:

“I’m just afraid that if I died today, then my life would have amounted to nothing.”

As Joe talks to his class about hearing a jazz musician play piano for the first time, I wondered where my passion was and why I’ve never felt so strongly about anything.

Then came the last lines of the film:

“What are you going to do with your life?” Joe was asked after receiving a second chance at life.

“I’m not sure,” replied Joe, ”but I do know I’m going to live every minute of it.”

That was it. That was the line that did me in. That was the line that had me bawling and very thankful that I was watching this movie alone, the line that has me writing this post and that may cause most of you to wonder about my sanity, the line that made me ask myself,

Am I living every minute of my life?

No! The answer to this question is 100%, without hesitation, N-O, no!

And this has to change.

Just like Joe, I’m not exactly sure how I’m going to do it but what I do know is this:

1. You only get one life to live.
2. That life is short.
3. No matter how much of it you’ve wasted, it’s never too late to start living now!

What about you? Are you living every minute of your life?

I’d love to hear your inspiring stories. Tell me how you are living life to the fullest.

Just Me

Wondering why, wondering what if -
A trap craftily concealed -
Ensnares the unsuspecting.
To the weak and wounded it appeals.
 
Undetected by its captive,
The entanglement’s hold is fast.
Each doubt, each fear, each question
Only tightens its greedy grasp.
 
Struggling now, fighting for air,
The trap becomes apparent.
Is it too late to escape
The damaging thoughts inherent?
 
Silencing lies, silencing the fears -
The only way to break free -
Shedding all misconceptions
Until I’m left with only me.
 
The me who can learn from my failures
The me who can laugh at my fears
The me who can see the beauty
In my scars, in my pain, in my tears.
 
The me who must stop wondering why
Who must smile and simply move on
Holding tight to all I’ve learned,
Believing it will make me strong!

When All Else Fails…Laugh

I’ve wasted so much of my adult life NOT laughing.

I’ve spent plenty of time crying, plenty of time worrying and plenty of time being angry.

I’ve spent countless hours wondering why I don’t fit in. I’ve spent day after day regretting past mistakes. I’ve spent most of my years pretending that I’m okay with the “lot” I have been given and secretly wishing it all away.

And now, here I sit, only a few short years away from half a century, spending most of my time wondering what my purpose in this world still might be and being so very tired from all this overthinking.

I’m ready for a change.

I’m ready to find all the smiles I keep telling you to find. I’m ready to get rid of all the stuff in my life that isn’t truly me. I’m ready to live unapologetically, without concern of the thoughts of others and without fear of repercussions.

I’m ready to sit around the fire pit or around the dinner table or on the back porch, wherever it may be, sharing stories with friends and family, joking with each other, making fun of each other, singing whatever old song is on the radio and laughing –

– laughing so hard tears stream down our cheeks and snot shoots out of our noses,

– laughing so hard we can’t breathe,

– laughing so hard the troubles of this world disappear, our cares melt away and all that matters are those moments… those moments of laughter which are never wasted.

I’m so very ready to laugh.

Aren’t you?