The North West

With the Lens in the North West!

one of the things about love...

"That is one of the things about love, 

it always assumes it can find a way to express itself." Bob Goff

I read the quote above last week.... I have thought about it quite a bit.

     where in my life does love express itself?  

         have I always assumed I can find a way to express love?

               what does that practically look like?

                    how do I receive love expressed to me? 

                         what if I lived assuming I can find a way for love to express itself? 

                                then, what happens when I can't find a way to express love?

As I have processed these questions, what I know is some of the questions I have answers to, some will eventually unfold along the journey, and they might not always be given or received in the same way. But I am paying attention.

Last week was not the best of weeks for various reasons.  In my conversation with the Lord, my Constant Companion, I shared many things that were on my mind. Saturday He found a way (several ways) to express His love to me.

I was puppy sitting this weekend at someone's home I have been to several times. Because I have spent some significant time there, I had made a normal routine... chose the specific places I like to sit while eating or watching tv. The space I park my truck in and even what side of the bed to sleep on. But Saturday, I lived on the edge ;-), I chose to sit on the other side of the kitchen table for morning coffee and quiet time. Interestingly what transpired as a series of surprises-God finding a way to express love to me-I never would have experienced if I sat in my normal place! Wherever I look there is beautifully landscaped property and I wondered to myself, what will I see differently sitting on this side of the table?

Well, within a 1/2 hour something outside caught my eye. Turning quickly I saw the first surprise-a Hot Air Balloon! Immediately I grabbed my camera and headed outside, puppies following along! The thing is, just like hummingbirds and herons, Hot Air Balloons are just as much of a delight to me. Because I rode in one and my experience was wonderful, I know the feeling it's like when I see people riding in them. The best way I can describe it is the experience of hovering.

I followed the balloon until it was out of sight, then came back to continue my quiet time.  Just as I sat down, I look again and sure enough there are more-a total of 6 Hot Air Balloons!  I felt God's love-I was sitting in the right place at the right time and I had my camera-I was all smiles:)  If that weren't enough....when the pups and I went on our morning walk, what do I see but the very trucks holding the Hot Air Balloon cargo I had seen just a few hours before. More smiles.

About 10 minutes later, this truck and I "happened" to be at a stop sign at the same time. I spoke with them and told them I had some pictures if they would like them.  Got a business card and found out they were going up again in the evening!!  I was delighted and just kept thanking God for the many surprises that were in my day and felt Him expressing His love to me through them. 

Stop and Notice...

This summer I have been walking every day. I love to walk. I have a nifty app on my phone that tells me how far I have walked in how many minutes, how many calories I have burned and it even records it for me. I wanted something fancier, but it was free:) In the midst of my daily walks, besides making sure I didn't trip, I started noticing many beautiful flowers people display in their yards. It didn't take long for me to begin taking a 30 second break to capture the beauty I was seeing and of course posting it on Facebook.

What surprised me is people started looking forward to seeing "Today's Flower...". It became fun and a little bit of a challenge to find a different flower  each day.  There were times where I almost missed the one I captured that day.

Yesterday I took a different route. I was delighted that not too far in I found a new flower....after taking a few snaps though, a thought came, and so began a conversation with the Lord (no, not out loud ;-)...and although it's not an original thought, it is a great reminder. I began to wonder how many times I have walked past a normal everyday thing in my life, a flower, a sunset, a person, etc, and not taken notice of the beauty they hold?  With that, much more conversation took place about paying attention to the little or big things in life I generally just walk past.  So everyday, I am intentionally going to stop and notice something and look for the beauty it reveals. For me, the result is joy and gratitude.

I hope as you read this you will consider stopping and noticing something or someone that is in your everyday life God has given you, and I hope it brings a surprise:)

Continuing the ride....

At the end of May, I shared the thrilling roller coaster ride of life-specifically the unexpected end of employment and the birth of my precious granddaughter.

Today is the last day of June!  A lot of things have happened since that post. I am thoroughly enjoying being a Grammie and my granddaughter will be six weeks old tomorrow. Wow, time is flying!

I have struggled a lot concerning my employment situation.  I am not sure that I can fully explain the struggle, but it was difficult. There were places that seemed like closed doors with no way of opening them. When I applied for a job, there wasn't much I could or couldn't do to "guarantee" anything. In this place there was no control.  I am very grateful my friends and family were assuring me that I would be ok and they would help in any way they could. However, when the reality of not having a regular income sets in and one does not want to burden anyone, there is struggle-at least for me it is!

I was in constant conversation with the Lord. Continually I heard in my heart, "Trust Me" and although I told God I wanted to, it was very difficult. I recognized if I could have a radical dependence on him by surrendering, it would move my relationship with Him to a deeper level and I knew that would be peace. Thankfully after a period of time I was able get to the place of surrender.  A place where I turned my employment and my finances over to God and began to trust that no matter what happened He would take care of me in whatever way that looked like. Once I let go, I was even able to be at rest.

During that time I was paying attention to the gifts that were in the midst. I was able to enjoy helping my son and daughter-in-law in ways that I wouldn't have been able to if I were working.... I thoroughly enjoyed the many hours I spent just holding my newborn granddaughter...and then there was the place where I realized if I resisted or refused to let my dear friends or family help me, I was not allowing them to love me as God was asking them to-humph, that was showing me my pride and rebellion-ugh-that was hard to see in myself, but it was true.

On this side of things, there is much to celebrate. On my birthday I was sent the official offer for a position at the American Heart Association.  I am thrilled and thankful!!  Not just for my new job, but the extra time I was able to spend with my son's family, and for the new dependence and deeper relationship I have with God on the other side of the struggle.

Continuing the ride with Him beside me:)

Wall in the Garden….

A good friend took this picture. The moment I saw it I felt an invitation...

 to write....

On the garden path

I see simplistic beauty

And intricate charm

With a paced rhythm

My steps are deliberate

Taking in beauty

I smile at a sight

White flowers on a trellis

Moving close, I breathe

My senses delight

Fragrant aromas, eyes stare

Embracing splendor

Ahead an etched wall

Capturing my attention

In itself grandeur

History marks it

Aged with brokenness and scars

Seeing resilience

Flawed but lovely

Within it a work of art

A picture of life  

Turning at the gate

Pondering the path and life

A garden, a wall

On my mind and in my heart…..

Wow! This new role I have as a Grammie, is better than I ever imagined!

Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to be a mom and God gifted me with 3 children. I never gave thought to being a Grammie and now I am. Another gift:)

Each day for the first three days of her life I held my granddaughter, sometimes for several hours.  I was mesmerized at everything she did. Her little facial expressions, her grasping my finger with her tiny hand, the big stretches she would take and yes, her little cry is even precious to me.

When I am not with her, I have a treasure I am embracing.  In my mind, as I wake in the morning, I can see her tender face. Then throughout the day if I turn on my phone she is there, if I look at my desktop, she is there, if I sign into Facebook she is there too!

I began thinking about God’s great love toward us as those created in His image. I can only imagine what it must be like with God in relation to us.  He is always with us, so always on His mind and in His heart.  God’s love toward us is no match for the love that we have for each other, certainly His is far greater.  Over the years though, I have been gifted with what I will say is a taste of this love. Now, with my granddaughter, there is a beautiful new season of “on my mind and in my heart kind of love”. My heart is full :’)

Thrilling.....

Life certainly has it’s ups and downs. If I look at it as a roller coaster ride, I could say it’s thrilling-right?

For me, I have been on quite a ride of ups and downs and bends and curves lately.  I have gone from shock and my stomach sinking, to the pleasure of coasting with the joy of feeling like I am on cloud nine…

A week and a half ago, I was on coasting along and all of a sudden, I was headed straight down and that sinking feeling in my stomach was overwhelming by an unexpected life change in employment.

Thankfully the One operating the roller coaster not only knew where I would be at that moment in time, but was right alongside me in the midst of the shock.

By His grace and love and the gift of dear friends and family, I was able to remain secure as this change unfolded.

Although the ride seemed to continue downward, I moved my focus to the next hill upward.  What I didn’t know is that a great pleasure in my life would happen and a joy that is new to me took place. Again, God knew what was next.....seeing and holding my  precious newborn granddaughter one week later as she entered this world on May 20^th . Along with that seeing the absolute joy of my son and daughter-in-law as they delighted in the arrival of their new baby girl!

New life certainly has a way to change perspective on things.  A blessing and a gift has been given in this beautiful baby girl that is now part of our family.  I am thankful I am on the ride of life with all the excitement, thrills, bends and curves that come with it!  Although coasting seems to be easy, I know whatever is next I am going to trust in the One who knows if next is up, or down…..weeeeee!