My Three Favorite Mugs

     I have three favorite coffee mugs.  All three were gifts, and I am so glad because I probably wouldn't have spent the money to buy them for myself.  But, I use them often because they each mean something special.  May I share them with you?

    
This mug is obviously seasonal.  I had it tucked away on a top shelf of the kitchen waiting for the right season to use it until one of my kids was home and couldn't find another cup.  As the cabinets were opened and the search for something to use for morning coffee began, this one came out.  When I was doing dishes later in the morning, picking up cups and plates and forks and glasses and spoons and cramming as much as I could into the dishwasher, I was taken aback to have this mug in my hand.  It was seasonally inappropriate.  Thanksgiving was long past.  Hey, even Valentine's Day had come and gone!  I was, quite frankly, appalled. 

     Then I thought, "Why not?"  Why not use this mug all year?  Am I not thankful for each day of life?  Am I not grateful daily for all that God has given me?  Family.  Home.  Friends.  Clothes.  Hair!  Yes. Yes, I am.  So now I use this cup frequently, careful to be aware and to be thankful.

     The second mug I would like to share with you was a Christmas gift with a gentle reminder.

    

     It says, "Each new day is a gift."  How well I know and appreciate that now!  I don't think I did when I first received this mug, though.  During and after cancer (or any other life-altering event), one has a new appreciation for the breaking of the dawn.  I read on a friend's Facebook page just this week:  Live today and live it well! uplift, encourage, exalt! 



     That's my goal.  To live each day looking for every adventure that crosses my path and to live it fully and well.  I write this blog to uplift and encourage YOU in your own walk with Christ.  Praise God he has allowed me to live another day!!

     My last mug is just for fun.



     This mug reminds me to have a little fun every day.  It doesn't relate to a specific season, nor does it convey any words of wisdom.  When I was young my mother too me to see Mary Poppins.  I remember the song, "I Love to Laugh," and how I have enjoyed that song throughout the years.  I DO love to laugh.  I look for the humor in life.  Laughter is good for the soul.  So, when I use this mug I remember to find something in my day to laugh about and enjoy.

     All this has made me realize it is mid-afternoon and time for a coffee-break!  Before I close, I want to remind you to be thankful, celebrate each new day the Lord give you, and find something to laugh about!

     

Early Morning at the Park

     Arriving at the community park early in the morning is a quiet experience.  There are not many people up that early, but as I complete more and more laps, more and more people arrive.  It's an eclectic mix.  There's me, the middle-aged cancer survivor trying to build strength and lose some weight too.  There are the older ladies, who in all reality probably aren't that many years ahead of me.  There's the older man walking a little crooked in his baggy pants and clunky boots, his body obviously tired from many years of hard work.  There's a younger person getting ready for a busy day.  Everyone walks at their own pace.  Some a little slower than others.  Even the ladies who come in the same car split up.  The younger person usually runs.  As we pass, we say, "Good morning."  Sometimes there is a young mom (this morning it was a young dad) pushing her (his) little one in the swing.  The child's giggles of joy fill the air. 
     Usually I will listen to music as I walk, but this morning I heard the Lord as he prompted me...No ear buds.  Enjoy.  So, I left the music turned off in my pocket and walked.  Looking around, enjoying the creation, I found myself learning life lessons from the squirrels.  Look at this picture:

This little guy was chewing on the fence clamp.  Chewing and chewing and chewing.  Even as another lady and I stopped to watch, he didn't run away.  He stayed to continue his chewing.  As you can see, there were plenty of trees.  The were, in fact, plenty of other squirrels scampering and playing and hiding treats in the ground, but he was intent on chewing that metal fence clamp.  I walked past him at first but went back for the picture.  God was teaching me to be careful what I try to consume.  I want to be more aware of what stops me and grabs my attention.  I want to feast on the good stuff.  The delicious, aromatic, and colorful feast He sets in front of me.  I don't want to waste my time on stuff that isn't doing me any good.

     To me that metal clamp represents all the stuff that distracts us from living.  TV, gossip, jealousy, materialism, pettiness, anger, laziness...

     Still without earbuds, I continued to walk and listen to the sounds of nature.  I looked through the fence at the trees.  And I noticed this:

I don't know if you can see it well, but these are some beautiful flowers I had never seen before.  Actually it's a vine.  The flowers are bell shaped and quite unusual.  And then I thought about how many times I read God's word and something new just pops out.  Not because it's never been there before, but because I, at that moment, became aware of it.  There are so many truths and lessons in the Bible that we can't take them all in at one time.  Sometimes, like this vine, you realize that little beauty has been there all along and now that you've seen it, you get to enjoy it.



    When I pulled into the driveway I noticed that my lily is blooming.  It's so pretty and I enjoy it so much.  In our family we call it the Granny Lily because these were Granny's and we transplanted some of them when her house was sold.   

This flower reminds me of my heritage and the legacy I will leave.  It reminds me to continue, through the years, for the generations that follow, to bloom and share the life that God has created for me to live.  It teaches me of the joy that others see when they look at your life and mine and see you and me living out who God created us to be.  It reminds me that little smiles of joy will come over us when we open our eyes to really see the world around us.  

     I love getting up early to go walk.  The cool morning air is refreshing.  And coming home to that first cup of coffee is always something to look forward to.  Most of all, though, I get the thrill of experiencing God and enjoying his handiwork.  I encourage you today to stop what you routinely do and make yourself consciously aware of God at work around you.  Enjoy!

Love It When He Speaks!

     Amazing.  Simply amazing.  Hearing God remind me of His Word this morning as I was walking took my breath away.  You see, my heart is in a struggle.  Hurt and anger are trying to control me.  Defeat is lurking at the door just waiting to get in.  That old saying isn't true.  Words do hurt.
     Over the past week I have received many beautiful words of affirmation over my life.  Encouragement from people who are so kind and generous.  It's a good and pleasant place to be.  But when you let your guard down, allowing that weak spot in your armor to gap open, Satan has an easy target.  And I made it easy for him to hurl that fiery dart and make contact today.
      Pride has a way of doing that to you.  Wanting to be right.  Should've kept my mouth shut and not answered what was not asked.  Should've known that my advice would not be easily accepted.  Should've known that pride was rearing it's ugly head.
      As I walked this morning I knew what was at stake.  I could waller in the self-pity and pain that were trying to consume my thoughts and very quickly become a woman with a bitter and angry heart.  It was one of those times when my spirit had to cry out, "Lord, help!  Don't let me be consumed by this," because I was too bogged down pray much more.  That's when it happened...
     Just a quiet whisper... "Think on these things."  Again.  "Think on these things."  Again and again it came.  What things?  Which things?  Not those things that selfish me wanted to be right about.  Not those thoughts about what I should go back and do or say.  Not the revenge that would make me feel worse in the end.  Gently and quietly He reminded me of what "these things" are. One at a time.  Not really in the order they are written. 
     The first word that came?  Pure.  "Whatever is pure.  Think about that."  Well!  That sure takes the wind out of the sails of your quest for revenge!  Little by little the verse came.  As soon as I got home I grabbed my Bible to look it up.  Even more amazing -- I knew where to look!  Not because I had made an effort to memorize but because God had something to say.  Here it is:

. 

But keep reading.  Look at verse nine. 

What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me

- practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. 

Philippians 4:8-9

     OH.  MY.  GOODNESS!!  How will I deal with this stab of pain?  What do I choose to think about?  Truth?  Honor?  Purity?  Loveliness?  Commendablility?  Excellence?  Or do I choose my own way?  My own response?  My own evil thoughts and words that will hurt in return?  Will I  practice the things I have heard and learned?  Or will I devise my own method?  Will I be bathed in the peace of God?  Or will I be consumed by thoughts that destroy?
     I choose the peace of God.  It's not easy.  It's been a couple of hours now and I am still struggling.  Satan knows I am weak at this moment and he is hovering like a vulture, just waiting for the right time.  But I have a shepherd who loves to protect me and pour his strength into me so that I many get up and keep on going.  Wrapped up in the blanket of His peace, I choose to think on His things.