Yesterday I tried to post a blog and it disappeared. Today I tried again and still nothing. All I'm going to say today is this:

Lord Jesus, come in glory! (and in Forrest Gump fashion - that's all I'm going to say about that.)

Yes

I was singing along with a worship song today and the chorus that I was singing was: Lord Jesus, come in glory

Last week, I laid to rest an elderly Uncle of mine. He started to go downhill so quickly and suddenly, he was gone.

It's a strange time. There is sadness and yet joy because I know that he is no longer suffering. It's meeting with loved ones - some who I know very well and others who are like acquaintances and yet, there we all are. We all have this one person in common. We take the time to catch up, perhaps share a memory or two, sometimes laughing and sometimes crying. It almost feels surreal because it happens so quickly. The person is alive and suddenly, you are making funeral plans and then it is over. Everyone who came from out of town is gone again and all is quiet. The only concrete memories I have of that time is some dishes that need to be returned to some precious folk that brought us meals.

I feel a little like I'm in a fog right now but I do know that the memories of last week will stay with me. There are so many extraordinary people that surround me in my life. My Uncle was a bit of a hermit and had his oddities but his legacy was kindness. Everyone spoke of and remembered him for that. "Never a harsh word". What a precious memory he has left us with of him! But I also want to focus on those amazing people in my life - both family and friends - that are here now and still very much with me. I want to look at them and see the good in them. I want to encourage them and bless them while they can still hear me.

We all have this opportunity everyday. Let's not wait until the funeral. Let's start blessing those around us with positive words of how they impact us now, today!

There's a tiny verse in the Bible that my eye fell upon the other day: "Do everything in love." - 1 Corinthians 16:14

That's the whole verse. Small and yet big. Unassuming and yet oh, so powerful! It does not say to try to do everything in love. It does not say to do some things in love and some things 'in like'. It says to do EVERYTHING in love. When I started to think about this, it became overwhelming. That means I have to drive 'in love'. That means I have to talk to someone I'm not really crazy about 'in love'. Everything that I can think about that I don't like doing, I have to do in love. How can this be?? How is this possible?

First of all, we are not alone in this (see last blog). God is beside us giving us the wisdom and the strength that we need to walk this out. And secondly, He knows we are frail and that we will mess up from time to time. God's grace is greater than our mistakes.

We can start to do this today in small ways. Small steps is always a great way to start. Just by being conscious of something is a great place to start. Try to think of an area of your life where you are constantly challenged. I thought about my driving. I am normally a patient person but when I get behind the wheel of a car, some crazy creature takes over my brain and makes me want to speed and do and say inappropriate things to people who get in my way. So, since I have read this verse, I have picked my driving as the first thing to do in love. I asked God to give me what I needed and guess what? I am actually getting more patient! I also have a great worship CD in the car and so if I get caught behind slow traffic or a long train, I take the time to focus on Him and not on my own petty stuff. I arrive feeling much more peaceful (and much less guilty!!).

I would love to hear about the one thing that you picked to start on and to hear your adventures and triumphs in that area!

I was listening to a song today and the person was singing about being alone. It got me thinking about having spoken to some people and they say that they feel lonely or alone in a crowd. Being alone isn't just being by yourself but it's also feeling like there's no one there for you. Or perhaps you feel like an outsider - like you never really belong.

As Christians, we have this promise from our God: "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5). What an amazing promise!! He uses the word 'never' twice. He wants to make sure that we get it. We are never alone and we don't need to feel lonely. He's always there for us! A few years ago, I had surgery. I have had several and know that when you get surgery, they always roll you into the operating room on a stretcher. I was feeling quite stressed about a week before the surgery and God said not to worry, that He would be with me through the whole thing and would walk into the operating room with me. When the day for the surgery came, my husband and I were waiting for them to come and get me. The nurse had already hooked me up to the IV and I was waiting for the stretcher. The nurse came and said: this is very unusual but we are short on stretchers. Would you mind walking into the operating room?. I immediately thought of God's word to me. He would walk with me and here I was walking. I knew then that this was His way of reminding me that He was right there. I was so comforted and felt so calm walking into the operating room. I climbed onto the table and the nurse said to me: you seem very calm. I was! Our God is real and big and always there for us no matter what we are walking through. We are NEVER alone.  

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I always love Thanksgiving. Partly because I love the time of year - the fall. So lovely! The leaves are changing, the air smells great - it's an amazing time for a long walk and reflection.

But I also really like Thanksgiving because I take time to think about what I am thankful for. I look at my life and have SO much to be grateful for. This year, around the table with all of my family, we all took turns to say what we were thankful for. We all had things in our lives for which we could truly give thanks.

What if we took the time, say each morning when we arise, to take time to turn to our Heavenly Father and share something with Him that we are thankful for? And what if, after that, we shared with a family member or a friend what we appreciated about them? And what if we went to our school or our workplace and shared with people there what we were grateful for either about the workplace or about them personally? If even just one of us took the time to do this, our world would be a little better place.

Let's remember to be thankful not just on one day but everyday. We have a lot to be thankful for!