This post stems from a few things. For one thing, I thought about it in November when I was thinking about different things I am thankful for. A second thing that made me think this way was watching The Sound of Music Live on Thursday night and listening to "I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad...". The third and final thing that has led me to think of these things is recognizing how God made each person unique and knows them specifically. He knows what upsets each person and he knows what makes each person smile. Each day we wake up is a day He has given us life which is a miraculous act of grace. Life is by no means a cake walk, but God has been so kind in filling his creation with things that not only bring him glory, but with things we can enjoy as well and praise him for in the process.
So because of the above reasons, I would like to share a list of ten of my favorite things.
1. Puzzles--I love puzzles! I enjoy the way it allows my brain to both relax and work at the same time. I love that I can do puzzles and watch things with Michael at the same time--this comes in especially handy when he wants to watch something that is almost too intense for me to handle :)
2. Cows in fields on the countryside--I started getting really happy about seeing a nice group of cows in a nice green field maybe with some trees or a little creek a few years back. It is something that always makes me smile. In fact, I even have a favorite group of cows to drive by in Iowa.
3. Snow on evergreen trees--I just find it to be absolutely beautiful.
4. Holding babies--ah babies are so precious. It is incredible to me to consider the miracle of life! As it is close to Christmas I find myself more aware of the babies around me and marvel at the fact that Jesus came as a baby! Back to the holding babies though, this is something I have always loved and I can hardly wait until Michael and I start a family and I can hold my own sweet babies.
5. Squirrels--I really enjoy watching squirrels do their thing. I think in some ways this stems from my mom liking to watch squirrels. Last weekend I spent some time with my nephew, August, watching squirrels run around the back yard.
6. December--I love December! I love the first 'big' snowfall that often comes and I love preparing for Christmas. It is such a happy and beautifully reflective time of year. Along with this I really enjoy Christmas decorations--especially Christmas lights. They make everything so festive and cozy.
7. Laughter--I so appreciate laughing alone, with others, and hearing others laugh. I think laughter is a sweet gift from the Lord. We all have unique laughs and laughing is a nice way to bring people together. Listening to other laugh almost always makes me smile. In fact thinking of specific individual's laughs makes me smile--thinking of my brother Sam's laugh right now.
8. Reading a good book--I really enjoy getting caught up in a good book. I started and finished the Divergent trilogy in two weeks. Oof really enjoyed those books. I also appreciate when books surprise me.
9. The Swinging Bridge--I think this bridge in my hometown in lovely. I like to walk on it and I like to look at it. My grandparents had several paintings/drawings/pictures of the bridge up in their home and now I have one of them up in our home.
10. Pie--delicious. Actually I like pie for more reasons than just because it is yummy. Pie brings many fond memories for me. I remember baking pies with my Grandma Karen in the summer, I remember my mom working on making pie crusts with our neighbor Doris, I remember eating pie at several of our birthday parties with grandparents growing up, and pie was often present at family gatherings on the Clayberg side. One of my goals for the next year is going to be improving on my pie baking skills--slightly concerned about my waistline as I look towards this endeavor (someone has to eat all the pies I am going to practice making), but I am really excited about it! :)
There are obviously many other things that would fit into my favorites--I didn't even talk about learning or relationships or faith all of which are important to me. I love who God is and I love that while He is a God who must be glorified, I love that He designed us to enjoy his creation. What a great and gracious God.
Ok so this is kind of unrelated, but another one of my favorite things is songs that proclaim truth. We sang this song in church this morning and I have been thinking about it a lot today, so I wanted to end with this: All Is For Your Glory
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Sunday, December 1, 2013
An Encounter with Grief
Grief in an interesting thing. I was struck by this today during our car ride home from our Thanksgiving weekend. The ride was fine, but towards the end I started to feel a bit carsick--stomachache and headache, just feeling lousy. This lead me to feelings of frustration and self-centeredness. I was crabby about feeling gross and that spread to negativity towards going back to work again tomorrow. To combat this negativity and to try to distract myself into feeling better I put in my headphones and put a song I have been enjoying lately on repeat, then I leaned my head forward to just "soak in" the music and try to "escape" for a few minutes.
As I was listening to the song I recognized and appreciated a hint of country sound in the artists voice.
Country music always makes me think of my dear Grandpa Butch.
Thinking of Grandpa reminded me of what was happening during this upcoming week 6 years ago--finding out Grandpa was fighting a losing battle, finding out he would be removed from the machines assisting him in living in a few days, seeing his smile one more time, rubbing his head, saying a tearful goodbye, and hearing the news I was expecting to hear on that Wednesday afternoon on December 5th that Grandpa had passed away.
And suddenly I was in tears missing my Grandpa and the wonderful man that he was. I miss his laugh, I miss his smile, I miss sitting on his lap, I miss his hugs, I miss hearing him talk, I miss the mouse in his arm, I miss his whisker rubs, I miss truck rides, I miss lazy afternoons, I miss everything about him.
These overwhelming feelings of missing him came out of no where and without any warning.
When you lose someone important to you it seems that while time heals the wounds and allows you to return to a new normal, there is still an inexpressible ache that comes from missing them. There doesn't have to be a big reason for the grief to occur, sometimes it just stems from hearing a little country twang in a song.
I appreciate grief. I like the reminder it brings of how important and special that person was and still is to me. I would be a different person today if I hadn't had such an incredible man like my Grandpa Butch involved in my life.
For me grief also pulls me to Jesus. As I was quietly letting the tears fall in the car I found that I didn't want to be around anyone, but I didn't want to be alone--enter Jesus. Jesus knew and loved my Grandpa better than anyone and He knows and loves me better than I know or can love myself. He knows my heart and the sad ache that comes over me when I miss that man. He sees and cares about every tear.
I found myself silently worshiping my God who loved my family the same even when our lives were changed forever as Grandpa was taken from us.
Through remembering my Grandpa and my time of quiet worship, I was convicted of my attitude...God did not create me to be a fussy individual who dreads going to work after a long weekend. My Grandpa was a wonderful example of an individual with a positive attitude and what it means to live a life that is selfless, dedicated, and hardworking. He did not waste his life and I do not want to waste mine.
God does not forsake his children. He is with them in good times and bad. He is with them in life and in death. I love the song "Wonderful, Merciful, Savior". I love how it describes God as Father, Savior, and Spirit. It is the song I was lead to in my worship this evening and it is the song I leave you with tonight.
Listen to "Wonderful, Merciful, Savior" here
As I was listening to the song I recognized and appreciated a hint of country sound in the artists voice.
Country music always makes me think of my dear Grandpa Butch.
Thinking of Grandpa reminded me of what was happening during this upcoming week 6 years ago--finding out Grandpa was fighting a losing battle, finding out he would be removed from the machines assisting him in living in a few days, seeing his smile one more time, rubbing his head, saying a tearful goodbye, and hearing the news I was expecting to hear on that Wednesday afternoon on December 5th that Grandpa had passed away.
And suddenly I was in tears missing my Grandpa and the wonderful man that he was. I miss his laugh, I miss his smile, I miss sitting on his lap, I miss his hugs, I miss hearing him talk, I miss the mouse in his arm, I miss his whisker rubs, I miss truck rides, I miss lazy afternoons, I miss everything about him.
These overwhelming feelings of missing him came out of no where and without any warning.
When you lose someone important to you it seems that while time heals the wounds and allows you to return to a new normal, there is still an inexpressible ache that comes from missing them. There doesn't have to be a big reason for the grief to occur, sometimes it just stems from hearing a little country twang in a song.
I appreciate grief. I like the reminder it brings of how important and special that person was and still is to me. I would be a different person today if I hadn't had such an incredible man like my Grandpa Butch involved in my life.
For me grief also pulls me to Jesus. As I was quietly letting the tears fall in the car I found that I didn't want to be around anyone, but I didn't want to be alone--enter Jesus. Jesus knew and loved my Grandpa better than anyone and He knows and loves me better than I know or can love myself. He knows my heart and the sad ache that comes over me when I miss that man. He sees and cares about every tear.
I found myself silently worshiping my God who loved my family the same even when our lives were changed forever as Grandpa was taken from us.
Through remembering my Grandpa and my time of quiet worship, I was convicted of my attitude...God did not create me to be a fussy individual who dreads going to work after a long weekend. My Grandpa was a wonderful example of an individual with a positive attitude and what it means to live a life that is selfless, dedicated, and hardworking. He did not waste his life and I do not want to waste mine.
God does not forsake his children. He is with them in good times and bad. He is with them in life and in death. I love the song "Wonderful, Merciful, Savior". I love how it describes God as Father, Savior, and Spirit. It is the song I was lead to in my worship this evening and it is the song I leave you with tonight.
Listen to "Wonderful, Merciful, Savior" here
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| Grandpa and 3 of his girls...some of the sweetest blessings and memories God has given me. |
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