Love Never Fails

O, Love that will not let me go

I rest my weary soul in Thee

I give thee back the love I owe

That in thine oceans' depth its flow

Might richer, fuller be.

Perhaps you remember that old hymn; it always warms my heart with its truth. It seems the older I get and the longer I walk this Christian walk, the more I am aware of His unconditional, overwhelming, all-encompassing love. For God so loved He gave... Love never fails... God is love.

This walk of faith is of coursed based in love - not our love, but His. It comforts me beyond measure to understand that my love is not hanging out there on its own, but is under girded and enriched by His love. Well, thank goodness for that!!

I learned through tears and emotional sweat a few years back that my love is at best selfish and at its worst, non-existent. That was a  hard lesson for me since I had always assumed I was a loving person. And I am - but only because He loves through me. Only because He loves me so very much. So, today I guess that is all I want to say: God loves; God cares; God covers and surrounds us with His beautiful presence.

Thanksgiving is over and I did not take time to post this weekend so this is a late Thanksgiving post. I am thankful for many things including family, friends and health; but His love,  His love toward me, for that I am most thankful of all. Everything else rests on that.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with family, friends and food, but most of all, I hope you know His love. It is a wonderful realization with which to begin the Christmas season.  After all, if He had not loved, He would not have given. And if He had not given, we would have nothing to celebrate.

For God so loved the world, He gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  John 3:16

He's Still Here...

Good morning, Saturday! Its good to see you come around again. I'm not sure why that is, since we are now retired and every day is basically Saturday, but I guess old habits die hard. I remember during my working days that Saturday was the day I could have that second cup of coffee, reconnect with my children and put my house back in order. Those days were busy, interesting, difficult and  fun. All in all it was a great season.

But my life today is a great season also. Now I can enjoy that second and third cup of coffee every day. My house only needs to be put back in order after visits from our grandchildren; which lately have been all too few. But even grandchildren grow up. Someone told me that its ok that we have much less to do, since it takes much longer to do it.

Even in our season changes, our lives remain constant in the important areas. In the natural we grow weaker but His strength is made perfect in weakness. Our minds sometimes get a little forgetful, but we have the mind of Christ. In short, He has our back, even - or especially - as we grow older. It is so true that He will never leave us or forsake us. There's a song that says He didn't bring us this far to leave us. I like that.

The most important attribute of our lives though seems to strengthen and enlarge as old age comes sniffing around, looking for a place to creep in unawares. It is a thing called Love. God is Love. I, personally, have found that many of my black and white areas have become a little more grey these days. Not that I'm compromising, but  I can sense the Lord stretching me to see the big picture. He sees the totality of our lives, not just our current season.

I first learned this lesson with my own Mother. I had prayed for her for years, wanting to see her shouting and dancing across the altar, speaking in tongues and prophesying. However, when the time came for her to go home, I was amazed at the depth of her relationship with Jesus. No, that isn't quite right. What amazed me was HIS relationship with HER.

I heard her pray aloud for the first time in my life only a few days before she crossed over. But that last week of her life taught me more about the love and faithfulness of my Heavenly Father than everything I had heard since becoming a Christian.

My mom accepted Christ into her heart as a teenager and was sold out. However, when she married my dad, things changed. Growing up, my church attendance was normally on holidays and an occasional stretch of a few weeks during a revival, but Mom was a wonderful, loving mother who cared for her family through many hard years. She taught me the principles of God through her life and through her song.

Of course I would have loved growing up active in church and learning the scriptures. My life would probably have been easier had I come to the Lord earlier. I'm sorry for that. But my point is, she did not walk closely, but He never left.  He remained faithful to the end and in the end He came for her. There was no doubt about that.

A few days before she left us, she made the statement: "Jesus Christ has been a member of our family all these years and I didn't even know it."

He never leaves us.

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.

John 6:37

Thank You

Security, safety, comfort: all situations we enjoy here in America. Freedom, opportunities, a better quality of life, all come with being an American. Even with the current economic problems, we still enjoy our way of life without too much interference. Our day to day lives are as a rule safe from outside harm.

Today we honor the veterans who fought to make that possible for all of us. It is right for us to do so - it is important that we never take for granted their sacrifices and those of their families. No one likes war, no one wants to leave home and family to defend our country. And yet, men and women are constantly called, drawn or driven to do just that.

Today, I want to take time to say "thank you." Thank you for going. Thank you moms and dads, sisters and brothers, aunts and uncles, grandmas and granddaddys for letting go.

God bless you and keep you in His hand and may His mercies surround each of you today - your day.

Unexpected Gifts

Talking photography and all the ideas surrounding it  is one of my favorite pass times. This morning I had the privilege of sharing ideas, tips and projects with three fun, interesting ladies. Now, you need to understand, one of my visitors was a family member, but the other two I just met. Truthfully, I wasn't sure what to expect, but we had a great time. How could we not?

1. We were all females - conversation was NOT a problem.
2. We all had our cameras.
3. We all had Nikon cameras.
4. We all love taking pictures.
5. There was delicious food involved.

All in all it was a recipe for success. Once again, the Lord put people in my path that I wound never have expected and enriched my life with new friends. We all inspired each other and parted ready to move up a level in our photography.

One thing I love about photography friends is swapping photos with each other. I get to enjoy their family, their vacations and their creativity all through their photos. And movies! And scrapbooking, and on and on and on. It's a never ending  process - there is always another level. There are always new products on the market and new techniques to learn. It's good to stretch ourselves forward and at the same time reach out to help someone else to a new level.

Life is better when shared with others. Creativity sparks creativity and the success of another causes us to yearn for more from ourselves. Good relationships bring out the good in us and challenge us to keep learning and improving. Our God-given talents are precious gifts from our Father and I believe to use and improve them makes Him smile.

Yes, this morning was a sweet gift of time with some special ladies and hopefully the beginning of new friendships.

So we , being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Ro. 12:5

Days Of Our Lives

Like sands through the hour glass...so are the days of our lives. That phrase has been running through my mind for a few days now, so I thought why not just give in and wander down that path?

Back in 1965 when Days first premiered I was a very young mother with my first baby boy. Life was easy and good. My "days" were filled with taking care of a baby, learning how to make a house a home and generally moving into a grown-up world.

I remember the hype surrounding the show that would be starring MacDonald Carey, who was a rather important actor in those days. He was not one you would expect to see on a daytime soap opera. Thinking back to those days, the memory that grabs my emotions is one of my Grandmother. After years of raising six children, long hours, hard work and certainly no T.V., Mama S had finally arrived at a time of relaxation ... and discovered daytime soap operas.

Although she had been an integral part of my life, our relationship was not a "chatty" one. Everything changed with the entrance of Days. She and I talked once a week about the show, the characters, the plot; all as if they were real people with real problems. I loved seeing her as a person rather than just a Grandma as we chatted away about it all. Sadly, the new wore off, our interest in the show faded and we moved on with our individual lives; but Days gave me a little place with my Grandma that I have not forgotten.

Years later that same baby boy went away to college. One day he mentioned in a phone conversation that he had to go because he didn't want to miss Days.  His daily routine included watching Days in the locker room with a group of players. Man! We had come full circle. The same show he cut his teeth on while in diapers he was now enjoying during his initial break away from home. I'm thinking even Jesus snickered about that one. But that too passed and life moved on. I seriously doubt that he has watched a soap opera in many years, he probably doesn't even remember Days, but Mom does.

Isn't it interesting that something as insignificant as a daytime soap opera has connected three generations?  I had no idea Days was still on the air until I did some checking before writing this post. I had never stopped to think about the connection between my Grandma, my son, me and Days. 

So, OK - this is not a profound, make-you-think kind of post, but its a reminder to me of how life winds around and comes back to make me smile. It reminds me to take advantage of every opportunity, no matter how small, to share something with a loved one.

Its been years since I thought of my phone conversations with Mama S, but I cherish the memory. In my heart I carry something special that came about because of a shared interest. It's funny that I haven't watched Days since back in the 60's, but the interest isn't important, the sharing is. Our lives do slip away like sands through the hour glass, but the memories remain and they make me smile.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: