Punctuation Marks and Simple Blessings

 

 

We think it is the big moments that define our lives - the wedding, the baby, the new house, the dream job. But really these big moments of happiness are just punctuation marks. The narrative is written every day in the small and simple. 

Sarah Ban Breathnach, Author of Simple Abundance

 

Don't get me wrong: I look forward to big moments, too (especially a wedding coming in 2022 for our family!)

Brent & Susan - newly engaged!!

 

But I also appreciate the not-so-monumental times ... like rides to the pasture to replace the fence charger battery with my favorite farmer and some pretty scenes from Rattlesnake Creek.

The sunrises and sunsets from the Kansas flatlands may not have universal appeal like those from a mountain-top or from a sandy beach, but they are still moments to savor.

And they are a reminder to be thankful. I follow The Farmer's Daughter on Facebook. She has  finished a round of chemo for cancer, and I was struck by the post she shared on her birthday last month:

I'm just grateful.

This past year was tumultuous and upending and trying. I stared death in the face more times than I care to admit. And I finally understand that growing older is a blessing. An absolute blessing.

Folks, life is short.

Don't waste your time angry.

Prioritize the people you love.

Be kind.

Put down your phone.

Enjoy the sunsets.

Stop comparing yourself to others.

Slow down.

Be present.

Love.

 

Those are powerful words ... and a reminder to not let the little moments pass me by. 

 

 The message was reinforced with one of my daily email devotionals:

 

A Time to Think

If you begin to live life looking for the God that is all around you, every moment becomes a prayer. 

–Frank Bianco, U.S. journalist and photographer

Thankfully, the Kansas sunsets provide plenty of free beauty - just for the taking.

The sunset one evening seemed creased by a jet moving through gold-tinged clouds. And I hoped that the passengers were appreciating the view, too.

Simplify, slow down, be kind. And don't forget to have art in your life - music, paintings, theater, dance and sunsets. 

Eric Carle

A close-up of the clouds as the sun played hide and seek

 Good advice, don't you think?

Gratitude

  

You could look at an overgrown lawn and think about another task that needs doing.

Or you could find a memory nestled among the dandelions and such. So it was last week.

Randy called me and told me about little purple flowers he saw at his old childhood home. It's where we have our shop and the bulk of our farm tools and equipment. 

It had been years since he'd noticed them. We're not sure whether that's because we don't usually let the lawn get that tall or whether weather conditions were just right for its growth. (I use the term "lawn" loosely in this instance.)

"They're where the wash house used to be," he told me.

"O ... kay...???" I replied. "... That was WAY before my time."

"It's where the clothesline and sand pile were," he further explained. (Same answer from the wife.)

Last fall, when Randy's brother Lyle died, I found this photo of Randy as I was looking at an old scrapbook. I thought of that photo as Randy was describing his memory of childhood.

"Would you please take a picture?" Randy asked. (People are always remarking about how cooperative Randy is with my blogging and the constant photography. He is. But he also prompts a fair number of the photos himself.)

I snapped a few photos of the purple flowers before taking off to Hutchinson for planter parts. 

Later, I asked my friend, Diana, who's a Master Gardener, if my identification of the plant as a grape hyacinth was accurate. It was. 

But for Randy, who spent a lot of hours in the tractor cab last week planting corn, I figure that glimpse of pretty purple flowers in an overgrown lawn was about a lot more than that.

  It was a portal to remembering his mom hanging clothes on the line while he played nearby. 

It was about playtime in the backyard with his brother.

Maybe those memories were further prompted by the recent placement of Lyle's stone at the Stafford Cemetery.

 

Our friend and funeral director, Jay, told us it was in place, so we drove out to the cemetery after church. (He also told us Fritzemeier was spelled correctly, so we wouldn't need our WhiteOut. What a relief!)

Later last week, an email devotional arrived from Guideposts.

A Time to Think

The miracle of gratitude is that it shifts your perception to such an extent that it changes the world you see. 

—Robert Holden, Ph.D

A Time to Act

Recognize the infinite possibilities of God’s work.

A Time to Pray

Dear Lord, when I am focused on my problems, and most likely making mountains out of molehills, guide me to go outside, look upwards and have faith in Your omnipotence.

I got another reminder as I glanced out our window at sundown. Yes, there were those infernal dandelions in an overgrown lawn - at our house, too. But the light was causing them to glow as if they had halos. I was drawn outside for a closer look and heard the birds serenading me as the sun went down.

The complexity and delicacy of a dandelion is amazing - even if it is a weed.

 There's always something to be thankful for and something at which to marvel.

It may be as close as just outside our door if only we look at things in a different way.

 Maybe it's worth making a wish that we have eyes to see.

***

As we approach Mother's Day this weekend, I figured this was a fitting tribute to Marie, Randy's mom. I didn't appreciate her nearly enough when she was still here. 

 

Mom & me - 1957

And an early "Happy Mother's Day" to my mom! 

Randy and I were both blessed with wonderful moms! I'm fortunate enough to still be able to celebrate with my mom. And after a year of pandemic, it was good to get together for an early celebration yesterday.

 

It's definitely not a professional decorating job, but it tasted good. If you have ripe bananas on your counter, this Banana Sheet Cake recipe from the County Line could be a contender!

Wishing our daughter a wonderful Mother's Day, too! We're so proud of all the hats she wears - including amazing mommy!

Gratitude

A Time to Think

Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer.
And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.
 –Maya Angelou, author and poet

A Time to Act

Approach today with a grateful heart.

Sometimes, it's easier said than done. Sometimes, an email devotional comes at just the right time to rearrange my attitude just a tad.

I know I have plenty for which to be thankful. But I don't think I'm alone in letting circumstances beyond my control cause moments of forgetting how blessed I am. Sometimes, it's like I'm looking through obscured glass. It's like my Grandpa Neelly used to say: "You've been drinking muddy water." He was talking about blocking his view to the television. But it works for attitudes, too, I think.

The Sunday School class I facilitate just completed a study called #struggles: Following Jesus in a Selfie-Centered World by Craig Groeschel. Each week, there was a section called Practice: IStrategize. It was a way to put the book knowledge to "boots-on-the-ground" use. An option during the first week was "Cultivate gratitude."

Go on a daily hunt for God's goodness in  your life by keeping a gratitude list. Throughout the day or at the end of the day, write down at least 10 things you're grateful for. ... You might choose to focus on a specific area in which you're struggling with envy or to focus on gratitude in general. Either way, begin by hunting for God's goodness in the little joys or graces you might otherwise take for granted: God, thank you for ... hot coffee first thing in the morning, a good night's sleep, giving me the courage to apologize ... Praise God for His relentless goodness in your life and ask Him to help you make gratitude the lens through which you routinely look at life.

It reminded me of an exercise I'd done several years ago after reading Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts.

 It never hurts to get a timely reminder, does it? I wrote this post a couple of weeks ago. But I could use a change of perspective today. Funny how that works!

After Christmas, I ordered a discounted journal from a photo site, thinking it would be a good place to keep track of my prayer list.

 I've also been using it for my "thanksgiving" list.

 Being thankful isn't limited to one Thursday in November. It's even more important on those days when you have to look around a little more.

A Thanksgiving Prayer

A Thanksgiving Prayer

By Rev. Linda McDermott

First United Methodist Church, Fort Worth, Texas

(Illustrated by me - many of the fall photos 

 were taken at Dillon Nature Center in Hutchinson, 

some this year and others in previous years)

 

God who loves us, who deserves our gratitude for so much that is good,

We offer our prayers of thanksgiving to you:

 

For the beauty of the earth — bright orange leaves mixed with green,

 

 a gentle rain, 

 a spider’s delicate web.

 

For friends, for family, even acquaintances who offer us kindness, 

who bring us laughter, who hold us to a higher standard.

 

 Lord of all that is good and nourishing to our well being, we give you thanks.

 

All of life is a wonder. The very breath we take, the ability to rouse ourselves each new day,

 a single blade of grass that holds such miracles of symmetry, 

 

a tiny distant star whose real size boggles our minds.

 

We take our lives for granted — as if it were our right, and not our gift.

We take our days and our loves and our passions for granted — as if tomorrow will verify their importance and our present moments have other things to occupy us.

 

Gracious God, who lavishes goodness upon us even in some of our darkest moments,

 help us to see your goodness, remind us to have grateful hearts, 

give us receptive minds,

 and grant us ever-gracious ways of living in harmony with each other.

 

And in our gratitude, make us to be instruments of your peace.

Amen.