Stop and Smell the Roses

My lesson this week has been that the gifts in life are in the small and simple. And to see those things, we must slow down and look for them. God is always giving gifts. Even in the hard moments. Even in the mundane. "Life is brief and fleeting BUT it is not an emergency" (Ann Voskamp). I will regret rushing about and always being in a hurry. Life is not a to-do list for me to check off. Ps 36:9-"We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing." What is the saying? Haste makes waste. And here is another thought: "Hurry always empties a soul" (Ann Voskamp). I want to be filled with joy and the gifts of this great creator God who loves us. He is the I AM. His very name that he identified himself to Moses and his special people, Israel, is about being in the present. Time is the essence of God. I only have so many hours in a day and it would be better to go to bed at night having not accomplished everything on my to do list and yet have a quiet, peaceful spirit and having enjoyed the day and the gifts in my life.  So here I count my Thousand, Endless Gifts (#138-180)

*communion
*a change of plans
*the truth spoken
*rows of chairs
*the rustling of papers
*pajamas
*riding the handlebars
*banana pudding milkshake
*colors
*yeast dough, kneading dough
*watching him stretch the dough
*making pizza to order, your very own pizza
*answered questions
*red, rosey cheeks
*new things
*the same things
*mixing, swirling colors
*dripping water, on me, at my feet, hiding my tears, cleansing, joy
*blazing, dancing fire
*flipping pages
*moments of light, bread, life, Word
*a shared meal
*his friends
*little voices playing
*rushing air, balloon rocket
*when it finally works, trying again and again
*Its not about me!
*soft feathers, little bills
*another lesson in slow dancing
*reading laps
*throwing himself on me
*an open mouth expectation
*another change of plans
*not being left alone
*little butts in the air
*fallen branches, water rushing over, under, around
*the way the baby flips himself over backward to look around
*a new perspective
*the still small voice in the midst of the crazyness
*being honest with myself
*walking together, holding hands, when she lays her head on me
*when i stop to listen