Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving ... a phrase I heard and said many times the last few days. It has become so familiar, I don't even think about what it means. Maybe if I switch the words around .... giving thanks happily... now that sounds refreshing. I can give thanks happily. I am thankful for life. I am happy that I don't have to depend on my own logic or the logic of people to guide me on this journey of life, but I have a wise God that is always available. I am thankful for family and friends. I am thankful for two legs and feet to walk on. I am happy that God doesn't expect perfection. I am happy that I have a warm house to be in. I am thankful for warm blankets. I am thankful for people that have devoted their lives to making life better for others. I am thankful for good coffee, chocolate and wine.

Have a great weekend and give thanks happily!

Life can be like a game ...

Life can be like a game, with many voices coming at us. People in the stands yelling, screaming and pointing in the direction they want us to go. They are not all pointing in the same directions or yelling the same instructions, so we twist and turn to try and please them all. But there is one who sees the whole game and who has and will give us the correct instructions for the play at hand. In the midst of the game, may we have our ear turned to hear the coach’s voice. May we tune out others for a time and focus on the voice of the ‘coach’. His voice is the one that will give us the guidance and direction we need.

-written by Janet from a story told by Melissa Taylor

Happiness keeps you sweet

Happiness keeps you Sweet,
Trials keep you Strong,
Sorrows keep you Human,
Failure keeps you Humble,
Success keeps you Glowing,
Only God keeps you Growing.
- Anonymous

The Content Tree

I like this tree ... it is just a few miles from my house. Years ago I had worked with the guy that lives at the house where the tree is. I ran into him at the local grocery store recently and I told him I admire the tree and he was happy to let me come by and take pictures of it. (though I'm sure he was thinking, all that morphine did affect this woman)

Though the trees behind it are changing, it is still green. It is calm and serene, it is not 'huffing and puffing' to become something that it is not yet. It is simply being content soaking up the beautiful afternoon sun and then again taking in the cool night air and in a few days or weeks the process of color change will happen naturally. I am also impressed with the relative small size of the trunk compared to the massive spread of the branches. The trunk can support the size of it only because the unseen roots underground are spread in all directions as far as the branches above. The roots supply the water and nutrients needed to keep the trunk strong and upright so it can continue to hold up the tree for all to see.