It is so incredible to me that EVERY year, without fail, I am in awe of the beauty of spring. I watch the trees waiting to see a hint of green, then a blink and - BAM!!! - spring has sprung. Even after the most heinous of winters, the most miserable of months, like clockwork the trees deliver the promise of warmth and rebirth. Tree lined streets greet you with green and front yards look and smell heavenly with white and pink blossoms.
I'm not a fan of the jump from winter right into summer we had the last couple of weeks here in Pittsburgh, followed by a brief visit back to winter. I like to savor the changing of the seasons. I enjoy some time to reflect on what this transition means and what it is symbolic of in my own life. Anybody who reads this blog regularly knows I am one who likes to reflect and find a deeper meaning in the every day and the seemingly ordinary. Perhaps the most simple thing that always manages to make me grateful for my blessings is trees.
Trees? Yes, trees. Oak trees, Ash trees, Birch trees, Dogwood trees. You see, trees are very deceiving. They lose their leaves and are left bare, looking weak and beat by the long, bitter winters. And yet, come April, they show us time and time again while they may lie dormant, they are not done yet. They have more to give, more to share, more life to live. How many of us have found ourselves beat down by life? The bills we can't afford to pay; the nasty people who try to break our spirits; our own internal negativity trying to get the best of us?
It is these times when we feel like a mighty oak stripped bare and left naked in the February cold that we need to remember how strong the human spirit is. It is in the times when you most feel like giving up that you need to be your own spring. Find one thing to rejoice in...one thing to believe in...one ray of sunshine through the clouds. Then just wait and watch for the green to appear. Before you know it - BAM!!! - you have grown as a person and are stronger for it. Because you see, YOU have more to give, YOU have more to share, and YOU have much more life, a life of promises and joy, to live.
"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would no be so welcome." - Anne Bradstreet
Showing posts with label possitive attitude. Show all posts
Showing posts with label possitive attitude. Show all posts
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Elementary Open House
John, this one is for you!
Tuesday night was open house at our oldest daughter's school. She was so excited to show us her classroom, school work and for us to meet all of her new friends. The reality was we went to her class and then went to the cafetorium for cookies, at which time she met up with her friends and all interaction with us came to a screeching halt!
Ironically, I saw more that night than me or my daughter anticipated, and it had very little to do with her classroom.
My husband and I moved to this community three short years ago. When we moved here we only knew one family, and even that one we were still just getting to know. As I walked around the school it seemed I knew somebody at every turn. Not only did I know people, but A LOT of these people have become friends. These are people who in such a short time have come to care about our family and have built relationships with my children.
What an amazing gift it is to have these people in my life. You don't realize when you first meet a person how they will play a role in your life. Our daughter's baseball coach, her teacher from last year, fellow parents who I've connected with...all these people who have come into our life by chance, but whom we've become friends with by choice. It is an amazing thing. It is truly a blessing.
It is a special thing to know you have people looking out for your child and who care. I don't mean to downplay my family and the extended family I have in my close circle of friends. I am ALWAYS grateful for what they bring to my life. I'm talking about the support system we may not always realize is there, It is something I don't take for granted. Take some time today to think about the great, unexpected friends in your life, and then thank God for these blessings. They really are a gift He has given us.
A thought for the day:
"It doesn’t matter what you’ve heard, impossible is not a word. It’s just a reason for someone not to try" - Kutless, What Faith Can Do
Tuesday night was open house at our oldest daughter's school. She was so excited to show us her classroom, school work and for us to meet all of her new friends. The reality was we went to her class and then went to the cafetorium for cookies, at which time she met up with her friends and all interaction with us came to a screeching halt!
Ironically, I saw more that night than me or my daughter anticipated, and it had very little to do with her classroom.
My husband and I moved to this community three short years ago. When we moved here we only knew one family, and even that one we were still just getting to know. As I walked around the school it seemed I knew somebody at every turn. Not only did I know people, but A LOT of these people have become friends. These are people who in such a short time have come to care about our family and have built relationships with my children.
What an amazing gift it is to have these people in my life. You don't realize when you first meet a person how they will play a role in your life. Our daughter's baseball coach, her teacher from last year, fellow parents who I've connected with...all these people who have come into our life by chance, but whom we've become friends with by choice. It is an amazing thing. It is truly a blessing.
It is a special thing to know you have people looking out for your child and who care. I don't mean to downplay my family and the extended family I have in my close circle of friends. I am ALWAYS grateful for what they bring to my life. I'm talking about the support system we may not always realize is there, It is something I don't take for granted. Take some time today to think about the great, unexpected friends in your life, and then thank God for these blessings. They really are a gift He has given us.
A thought for the day:
"It doesn’t matter what you’ve heard, impossible is not a word. It’s just a reason for someone not to try" - Kutless, What Faith Can Do
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Bumps and Bruises
Yesterday was one of those days I probably would have been better off had I just stayed in bed...or a padded room...I would have gone either way! My eye has been giving me a lot of problems, so I finally caved and made my first ever appointment with the eye doctor, only to be told he couldn't find the problem. REALLY? After shining a light that I'm pretty sure was as bright as the sun in my eyes for 35 minutes, putting 38 different kind of drops in my eyes (I may be exaggerating a bit with 38), and making me sit through all of your corny eye jokes, you can't FIND the problem. GRRRRR!
I walked out of the office and, thanks to my dilated pupils, I couldn't see anything but unbearable brightness. Thank God I had my sunglasses. I got home and let out the dogs (who may or may not have been possessed by the devil at the time) only to have one of them slam my knee into the doorway. OUCH!!! Instant bruise and major swelling. Wonderful. Thanks for that.
To keep with my great day, in all my genius, I full forced smacked my hand on the lip of the counter. I don't know the last time I cried that hard. (or swore that loud) I had shooting pains up my arm, and for the second time that day, major swelling. Seriously? Serious?
So at this point you are probably sick of my pity party and ready for the point. I guess the point is that as bad as yesterday was, it was yesterday. It was the past. This is a new day with new possibilities. Sure, I still have 2 bruises and an eye driving me insane, but they don't make up my whole. They are just little pieces that remind me of yesterday.
We all have some bumps and bruises life has left on our bodies and our hearts. Some are on our souls, and all we can do is pray the God helps us find healing for those. As for the bruises that don't fully fade in time, they are the reminders we need in our life of who we are, where we've been, and how we've gotten to where we are in our lives today.
Happy thought for today!
"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."
-Max Planck, Nobel Prize-winning physicist
I walked out of the office and, thanks to my dilated pupils, I couldn't see anything but unbearable brightness. Thank God I had my sunglasses. I got home and let out the dogs (who may or may not have been possessed by the devil at the time) only to have one of them slam my knee into the doorway. OUCH!!! Instant bruise and major swelling. Wonderful. Thanks for that.
To keep with my great day, in all my genius, I full forced smacked my hand on the lip of the counter. I don't know the last time I cried that hard. (or swore that loud) I had shooting pains up my arm, and for the second time that day, major swelling. Seriously? Serious?
So at this point you are probably sick of my pity party and ready for the point. I guess the point is that as bad as yesterday was, it was yesterday. It was the past. This is a new day with new possibilities. Sure, I still have 2 bruises and an eye driving me insane, but they don't make up my whole. They are just little pieces that remind me of yesterday.
We all have some bumps and bruises life has left on our bodies and our hearts. Some are on our souls, and all we can do is pray the God helps us find healing for those. As for the bruises that don't fully fade in time, they are the reminders we need in our life of who we are, where we've been, and how we've gotten to where we are in our lives today.
Happy thought for today!
"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."
-Max Planck, Nobel Prize-winning physicist
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