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!

Simple Praise

Our church choir sang a song for our community Thanksgiving service last Sunday titled  Simple Praise.

As I sit at my computer ...

As I've ridden the 4-wheeler to help move cattle ...

As I've baked and chopped and stirred ...

The words and music of this song have drifted through my mind, over and over again.

And when I've been at choir, pictures have floated into my mind as we've sung the words.

It's about thanks giving. Not necessarily Thanksgiving, though it's certainly the perfect time to recognize God's gifts and blessings all around us. But our thanks giving should be every day, not just on the fourth Thursday in November each year.

I found one choir had uploaded Simple Praise by Craig Courtney and Pamela Martin to youtube. If you'd like, listen to the song (the link is at the bottom of this post) and look at the illustrations that have been floating through my mind and are now assembled together, kind of like that other favorite song of the season, We Gather Together.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours from The County Line.

 For a canvas of colors

For a concert of sound

For the unfolding seasons

The earth spinning round

 For the birth of each sunrise

For the sky set ablaze

For these simple gifts

We give simple praise

 Simple praise for the Giver

And thanks to the One

Who has given us breath

And given His Son

 

To the Giver of blessings

For all of our days

  For these simple gifts

 
We give simple praise

For the love of a mother

For the touch of a hand

For the deeper emotions

We can't understand

For the lessons we learn

From the trials we face

For these simple gifts

We give simple praise

The heart of the Giver

 The hand of the One

From whom every blessing

Of living has come

 For measureless mercy and limitless grace

For these simple gifts

We give simple praise.

This was updated from a 2012 post.

Finding the Light

A banner at Stafford United Methodist Church depicts the magi.

Light was the common thread during our Epiphany worship service yesterday morning. From the opening prayer to the children's sermon to the hymns, the message of light shone through as clearly as the light of the star that led the magi to the Christ Child so long ago.

So many people are looking for a light at the end of the tunnel. Their concerns and fears wear a dozen faces: loneliness, depression, economics, bullying, terrorism, disease, marital discord -- the list goes on. Epiphany's reminder of the unchanging love of God for us is as refreshing as a glimpse of light at the end of a dark tunnel.

From General Board of Discipleship, United Methodist Church, www.gbod.org, which I used in my adult Sunday School class yesterday 

I'm the worship chairman at our church. We left the Christmas decorations in place through our Epiphany service yesterday, but I will have to figure out a time to pack them away this week until next year.

By now, you've probably taken down your Christmas tree at home. I know there are organized people who promptly pull out their Christmas decor the day after Thanksgiving and then pack it away on the day after Christmas.

I'm not one of those people. Because of a persistent cold, I didn't get our Christmas decorations at home taken down until Friday, which was later than normal.

But, after several weeks of twinkling lights decorating the living room, I'm never quite ready to give up the multicolored dreamland.

I'm never quite ready to pack away the angel tree topper ...

... or turn off the light on the Noel that decorates my piano during the holidays.

Even as a child, I remember the letdown after Christmas. It didn't have anything to do with whether I'd gotten everything on my wish list. It was just that slight feeling of melancholy, a sadness at saying goodbye to that "hap-happiest season of all," as the song goes.


But, even as I hauled the boxes of decorations to the basement, I needed to remember not to let go of the spirit of Christmas. Even if I must take down the twinkle of lights in my living room, I can let the Light of the World continue to shine in my heart, mind and soul as I enter a new year.

Arise, shine, for your light has come.
And the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
Isaiah 60:1 

So how do we keep that Light when the world seems like a very dark place some days? A couple of my Facebook friends have recently posted a link showing a Gratitude Jar.

From a friend's Facebook page

This January, as we look back and keep Christmas in our hearts, maybe these gratitude notes would help us to look all around us to recognize the good that happens and the blessings that God provides each and every day. Or it doesn't have to be a jar. I could keep a notebook-paper list of One Thousand Gifts made popular by Ann Voskamp's bestselling book of the same name. Even a computer list would accomplish a litany of "gifts" if I would just take the time and make the commitment to do it each day.

So the message of Epiphany wouldn't just happen on one Sunday in January. It would happen each and every day. 

***

I shared a variation of this message at Lovely Branches Ministries this month. Check out other bloggers who "Look Ahead, Look Back" through their blog entries this month at the new website. 

I'm also linked to Hear It on Sunday, Use It On Monday today.