Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Beginnings

"In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth..."  Genesis 1:1

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God."  John 1:1-2

Beginnings.  They are all around us every day.  I was looking through some photos and could beginnings over!  Photos of my babies, their beginnings.
 Photos of sunrises, the beginning of a new day.  Photos of graduations, enlistments, retirements - beginnings of new life chapters.  Photos of trees budding, flowers blooming, bird's nests.

Beginnings are all around us and yet I wonder how often we really see them, or really notice them.  Beginnings are important.  If we look closely, we can see God in every beginning.

What beginnings are you seeing around you lately?  Where are you seeing God around you?

Monday, May 11, 2015

Thoughts on Mother's Day... a little late

I was so lucky to have my mom here the days leading up to and on Mother's day.  We have visited and visited so much.  One of the things we visited about was Mother's day.  We reminisced a bit about how Mother's Day used to be.

I remember when Mother's Day was a big deal in the church.  When it was right up there with Easter and Christmas in attendance.  People went to church on Mother's day.  Families went to church on Mother's day to honor their mothers, whether they were together or not, whether they were their real mothers or not!  I remember Mothers wearing corsages.  Mothers celebrated their mothers and their women friends.

I remember talking about women who impact our lives whether they were mother's or not; aunts, sisters, teachers, neighbors, role models.  They were all celebrated and honored.

I kind of miss those days.  I understand some of the reasons why they are days of the past.  I understand that this day can be a sad day for many.  I understand, I do, but in my reminiscing I wonder if they had mother figures in their lives that they might like to honor or if they are a mother figure to someone that would like to honor them.  I just wonder.

I think of all the women who have played such and important role in my life.  My own mother, my grandmother, my sisters, my aunts, my nieces.  The adopted grandmothers I had when I was a child and even as an adult that I had when my real grandparents were too far away or gone.  I think of the women who have been there for me as a military wife, when I lived so far from my own mother and felt so alone.  The women who helped me in so many different ways throughout my life, I am so thankful for each of them.  I hope they were honored yesterday in a great way.  I hope they know the impact they have had on my life and how I wouldn't be who I am today without them.  Some of them got me through rough times and some of them were there to celebrate the great times!  I love them all and I thought of so many of you yesterday.  Thank you all for being in my life.

I had a wonderful Mother's day.  I spent it with my favorite people, my mother, my husband, my kids and a kid who is like my kid (aka my future daughter-in-law).  We visited, we watched my darling daughter dance in her recital, we laughed, we ate, we goofed off.  We had a great day.  I always love spending time with them.  I got to hear my all time favorite sound late into the evening... the sound of my children laughing and goofing off together.  Oh, there is no better sound to me than youthful laughter.

So, I hope you all had a wonderful day of honoring the mothers in your lives, honoring the women who positively influence your life and the lives of those around you.