Springtime Rain

rain clouds

water the earth

gardens will drink it in

colour will burst forth and bring joy

springtime

Rainy Monday

Wrapped in gentleness

Soft grey skies bring forth raindrops

Bringing peace my way

The Real Thing

The instruments are the same

The view may even be convincing

The sensation very real

The sense of accomplishment compelling

However

A flight simulator is far from the real thing.

I’m all about relationships

I love to know something I’ve said or done

Has brought a smile

Shone sunshine in a dark corner

However

Too often

I’ve done nothing more

Than hold the door to the simulator

Offering an illusion.

As a Christian

I’ve encountered the One

Who makes real flight possible

I much prefer the beauty and challenge

Of the real thing

The breathtaking view

The knowledge that

His abundant grace

Keeps me from plummeting to the ground.

The simulator might feel safe

But it isn’t real

I must be ready

To spread my wings and fly

Knowing He loves me enough

To sustain me

And should I fall

He will pick me up

Brush me off

And again

Direct me to the skies.

Because I know these things

I must be ready

To encourage others

To get to know

The Source of real flight

To join me

And soar.

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.

Deuteronomy 33:27 NIV

Walk, Run, Fly

 

Imagine

Three women

Out for a walk…

Yes, I know…this guy’s running

But we don’t do that.

(Kudos to those who do!)

At any rate,

My To Do list is longer than ever

So

I’ve decided to exercise

Every morning.

Why?

If I don’t do it then

I won’t do it later.

But why bother at all?

I start the day

With a sense of accomplishment.

I think more clearly.

I eat better by default.

Who wants to workout then eat sweet cereal?

(That’s rhetorical, by the way.)

I also work more efficiently

And

I’m sure my clients will be glad to hear that.

Do I want to lose a little weight?

More than a little actually.

But that’s not my main focus.

Do I want to tone up?

Most “women of a certain age” do.

The walking…

That’s literal.

The running…

Not so much.

And the flying…

That’s completely figurative

Unless I go to see my son out west

Or

Decide to take up

Skydiving or hang-gliding.

Buzz Buzz

this week

i relate to

one particular flyer

more than others

suffice it to say

i’m busy like

a

how ’bout you?

 

Wings or Weights?

some people

give us

wings

others give us

weights

i prefer wings

however

i risk flying

high above

people and their problems

if i only make use

of my wings

if i don’t allow the weight

to take my focus

but simply keep me

earthbound

i can look around

and

see my fellow weight-bearers

empathize

and perhaps

help them become

power lifters

hurray

for wings

and weights

…clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other…And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Colossians 3:12-14 NIV

Oh, Pooh!

I woke up at 5:30 a.m. yesterday. On a holiday Monday? Seriously?

Though I was still bleary-eyed mid-morning, the day had gotten off to a good start. And despite my horrible housekeeper self, I admit it had something to do with looking around and seeing things clean and tidy. (I spent a significant amount of time on Sunday working around the house.) I was even able to scratch off some things from my Procrastination List, which felt especially good.

One of those things was reading Lisa’s blog post. (I have so many blogs I would like to read regularly, and this is one of them.)

I bounced over to the post from her link on Facebook. (Can you guess which character I would be if I lived in the Hundred Acre Wood?)

I learned in my Western Though in Culture class back in Bible college that people really do process cognitive input differently. I know. I know. D’uh! Hey, I was only nineteen. The class was intense and so was my response to it. Deep thinking is good, but sometimes a lighter approach is easier to process.

This lighter approach is also much more freeing. If we accept how we’re hardwired – and realize others are wired differently – it goes a long way to accepting how they approach life.

When I say freeing, I don’t mean a live-and-let-live approach. After all, if you notice that I’m walking toward a cliff, I really would appreciate you pointing it out. If I choose to keep walking…well, that’s entirely up to me.

A.A. Milne’s characters truly are a study on how different individuals approach life. And if the cliff represents a new opportunity, being very Tigger-like, I figure, “No problem, I’ll bounce.” I am, after all, eclectically interested.

I’m only learning now, on the other side of fifty, that I won’t be able to do everything I want to in life. However, I’m still about bouncing off to try something new – while not letting go of the other things I enjoy.

How about you? Which character are you like? In what ways? And the people closest to you?

(Don’t forget to visit Lisa’s blog to learn more.)

A Pin or an Updraft?

The bubble burst. The balloon deflated. What do you do? Get back up, brush yourself off, and get on with life? You may be good at that. You may have found yourself in that position time and time and time again.

But…

What do you do when you look down and find you’re holding the pin? Now that’s a different story.

Have you ever caused another’s pain? There may have been times you lashed out intentionally or inadvertently hurt someone you love.

Either way, pain is pain, offense is offense. Where do you go from here?

May I suggest…

You don’t try to justify your actions. Even if you didn’t mean to, you were still the source of the pain.

Apologize ~ and mean it. It may not make everything better, at least not right away, but it’s an important step in restoring the relationship.

Give the person the time they need to process the situation. This can be rough. You might want to make it all better right away, but that can’t always happen.

Don’t be quick to discuss the situation with others. It might make you feel better, but it can make matters so much worse and draw people in who have nothing to do with what’s going on.

Be honest with yourself. Do you feel miserable because you hurt the other person or because their reaction makes you feel crumby.

Try not to let whatever it is come between you for the long haul. You can’t change how the other person feels or thinks, but you are responsible for yourself.

Learn from the situation. If something similar comes up in the future, try to remember how your actions or lack thereof will be seen by the other person. As you know, not everyone reacts in the same way to any given situation. Take their feelings into consideration and try to keep the pins in the box.

It is my prayer that I will be the updraft that allows them to soar.

Some days…

 

I had one of those dreams last night: nothing terrible, it just left me feeling blah. So, in typical Seuss-esque fashion, I thought I’d share my thoughts with you.

smiling and singing

some days I soar

some days I’m draggy

stuck to the floor

some days I’m flying

way overhead

some days I’d rather

stay in my bed

sunshine and grey skies

make up the days

joy and excitement

some days a haze

so whether I’m grinning

or feeling quite blue

i know there is blessing

this much is true

for He doesn’t change

in good time or bad

He’ll keep me soaring

and that makes me glad

 

Relationships Make Me Soar

It isn’t about how many friends I have on Facebook or how many followers I have on Twitter. It isn’t about my connections through Linked In or subscribers to my blog.

All of these things are great, but for me it really isn’t about the numbers. It’s about the real, live people behind those numbers. In case you’re a new reader or haven’t picked it up yet, I’m all about relationships. Statistical analysis (though it definitely has it’s place) and numbers in general (though my creditors would beg to differ) aren’t what life is all about.

Is it because I’m addicted that my email and Facebook windows remain open most of the day? I hope not. I think it’s because I love to connect with people. This isn’t in lieu of spending time with them in person. I like to do that too.

As a personal trainer, I loved developing exercise programs for my clients. But more than that, I loved spending time encouraging them, letting them know they were valuable just the way they were. There are many reasons to exercise, but getting thinner and stronger does not give one more worth as a human being.

And, as a birth doula, I can’t imagine a greater privilege than educating expectant couples about their options and being their when their little one makes an appearance. When birth ceases to bring tears to my eyes and a sense of wonder to my heart, it’s time to find a different line of work.

As a writer, it’s about connecting with my readers, encouraging them, blessing them. As an editor, it’s not just about polishing my clients’ writing. It’s about pointing out what I appreciate about their work, what they’ve done well, what I would highlight in a print version of their work.

Now, there is something you need to know. I am, by nature, an incredibly selfish and self-centred person. Any admirable qualities in my life are because of one thing and one thing only: Jesus Christ paid the price for my selfishness and because of that, I am what the Bible calls “a new creation.”

Good relationships and the opportunity to bless others makes me soar.  How about you? Remember, if we pursue who we were created to be and what we were created to do, we all benefit. Blessings as you soar.