Posted on by gemsoftheheart

Kisses from God

Do you appreciate the small things in life?  Are you  waiting for an answer to a big prayer and not seeing the purpose in your struggle? Often times we get ourselves so consumed by our desire or our own issue that I believe we miss the blessings that come from enjoying the silly,the minute, the everyday miracles that overtime become just stuff that makes up our day.

I was given a book last year that I just recently took the time to read.  In this book titled ” The book of AWESOME” , Neil Pasricha explains all things he believes to be awesome.  Here are a few things that made me smile and at times laugh out loud.  In reading this book I realized not only are these seemingly everyday things noteworthy ,some of them truly are awesome.  My favorites from the book plus a few of my own…..

Finding out your birthday is on a Friday or Saturday this year.  The smell of freshly cut grass.  A long hug when you really need it.

When you are running late and you find your keys right away and make every green light.  The smell and sound of a campfire.

When the socks from the dryer all match perfectly.  Perfectly popped microwave popcorn.

The smell of crayons and new clothes as the new school year begins.  The day you realize you can drive without your parents sitting in the front seat.

Licking the batter off of the beaters when you are making a cake.  Watching a baby giggle in their sleep.  The first few potato chips after you open a new bag.

When the thing you were going to buy is already on sale.  When you hit the perfect ratio of milk and cereal.

The thank – you wave you get when you let somebody merge in front of you.  Getting a sweet handwritten note in the mail, just because.

Picking up a q and a u at the same time  in a game of scrabble   Getting out of your car at the highway rest stop and stretching really big.

Getting the eyelash out of your eye.  The dew drops on the roses in your garden. When your child searches for you from the stage of the play, finds you, and starts waving with a huge smile on their face.

Getting your car parallel parked on the first try.  Seeing a hummingbird or butterfly visit your backyard.

When your child reaches up to hold your hand.  When your spouse smiles at you from across the room.

I hope by reading these “awesome moments” you will stop and think about what are the small things in your life that make you smile and bring you joy, even if they seem trivial.

My challenge to you this week is to stop and reflect on those moments when they happen in your everyday life and then thank God for making us creatures who have been given senses to enjoy such small things.  I think of them as kisses from God !  Enjoy and be grateful –

Blessings!

Sherri

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Posted on by gemsoftheheart

Notice the Flowers

It’s an old saying, “Stop and Smell the Roses”!  I realized recently that not only is it important to stop, it is even more important to notice that there are roses to smell in the first place.  Let me explain.

This time of year  I spend a bit more time on my road bike.  My sisters and I train to do the “Tri for the Cure” relay each year.  My designated contribution to this cause  is to ride my road bike for 12 miles.  Not a far distance but something I just can’t do without a little practice.  I hop on my bike, place my earbuds in my right ear ( so I can still hear cars on the left), and I ride several times a week.  There is one particular hill that is a challenge for me and I put my head down and focus on pedaling ,usually timed with a great Bon Jovi song to help me make it to the top. I never look to either side of me in my determination to get to the top of this hill without stopping.  Last week I had to take my son to a new practice field for baseball and as I was driving along this familiar road, I see a beautiful garden filled with shasta daisies , daylillies, and roses.  I started laughing, thinking about the many times I have passed this same garden but was so focused on getting to the top of the hill I never realized the beauty that was off to the right of my vision. Not only did I not stop to smell those beautiful roses, I never saw those roses.

Sound familiar? I thought a lot about that this past week and it made me reevaluate how I prepare for things.  I see myself as a determined person.  Raising four kids, loving my husband of 26 years, and working in ministry does not give me a lot of free time.  I was astounded that I had missed the garden because I love flowers so much.  I could see myself doing this in other areas of my life and God pointed that out to me in seeing this garden that had gone unnoticed before. Do you ever have such focus that all that surrounds you becomes a blur?

I have a new perspective as I begin yet another school year with my kids and a new calendar year with ministry.  Yes, there is always a lot to get done, but I don’t want to miss the “beautiful gardens” along the way.  My encouragement to you this week and in the months to come would be to actually see those “flowers” in your life in the first place so that you can take the time to stop and soak in the beauty and sites and smells that are your everyday life !

Blessings !

Sherri