In a recent conversation, I was asked: “Does God really have a specific plan for each of us?” The answer is an absolute “Yes”!
It has always fascinated me how our sense of smell can evoke the most fantastic imagery and can allow our minds to transport us in that moment to places remote in our memory. Such was the case with me just a few Saturdays ago while perusing the aisles of the local home improvement store. The moment became an opportunity for God to speak to me, and enrich my soul.
The family “pack mule” is somehow indicative of being a mother. The children off-load their hats, jackets, sweaters, and toys with a hearty “Here Mom!”, and husbands hand off their keys, sunglasses, and wallets for you to mind. While maybe not officially in our job description, moms everywhere are given the task of carrying things.
The words fell hard upon my heart and rang repeatedly in my ears, “I have decided not to come home and will be by tomorrow to pick up a few things. I do not want to be married anymore. I’m actually in love with someone else. I want a divorce.” My husband’s piercing words cut me to the very depths of my spirit and struggling beneath the weight of the crushing news, I fell to the floor in tears!
“Here, let me help you with that!” The words resonate in my heart as I reflect on how always being a help to others, especially my siblings and I, characterized the man my father was! He was generous, warm, and kind; always looking for opportunities to bless others, and he went out of his way to do so. During one of our last conversations shortly before his death, he said, “Well baby, Is there anything I can help you with?” Although physically unable to do many of the things he had once so enjoyed, his heart was intent on serving others. He wanted to help!
BUSY! That word defined means “having a great deal to do” or “to keep occupied”. Just for a moment take a closer look at some of the synonyms: involved, absorbed, engrossed, immersed, preoccupied, distracted, diverted, concern; and on the list goes. This word BUSY is indicative of someone who is so wrapped up in an activity that they are given over to it. Busyness has captivated and consumed them to the point they may be missing something of even greater importance! Today’s lifestyle is fast-paced, hurried, and chaotic. The demands on our time and schedule are great. There is so much competing for our attention that priorities can often and easily become misaligned. Busyness can be evidenced all around us and in us. Busyness is a thief and a robber of our time, while cleverly disguising itself as productivity.
If you are like me, you probably enjoy reading or looking at magazines. This is especially true if they feature home decorating ideas, recipes, and perhaps a do-it-yourself project or two. I just love trying out the little tips on organization, making the most of small spaces, setting a holiday table, baking braided bread, or how to make a shabby-chick silverware caddy from an old sewing machine drawer; and the pictures, oh, don’t you just love the perfect pictures?
Night had already fallen and a sea of black surrounded us as we traveled the familiar roadway. The desert lay still, merely a darkened abyss as we made our way toward home. The night would occasionally be broken by the approach of headlights, a welcomed break from the eerie shroud of darkness all around us. But just as quickly as they appeared, they would again fade out of sight. We watched as they would pass, leaving their glow in the distance and a trace of red tail lights streaming behind in the rear view mirror. Once again darkness would engulf us. At last we crested the final peak of that mountainous roadway. The curtain of night was drawn and dancing in the valley below was a host of shimmering and twinkling lights to welcome us back home.
Devastation
The endless mounds of rubble and debris lined the narrow street of what had once been the site of many of my fondest childhood memories. A visual example of ruin and destruction sprawled in front of me. Hurricane Michael had ravaged my father’s boyhood homeplace, the place we always came “home” too! It seemed unfathomable that it would never look the same again as it had been rendered all but unrecognizable. My heart sank as I sat gazing through the windshield and I couldn’t help but brush away the warm tears that trickled down my cheeks. I commented how grateful I was that my father wasn’t alive to see the nightmare-ish sight in front of me, and that I knew it would have broken his heart.
All of us like to remember special occasions and recognize various milestones throughout our lives. Most acknowledge and celebrate the passing of years, educational achievements, career advancements, or relational developments. We mark with grand gestures such notable occasions as weddings, the birth of children, engagements, and even the passing of aged loved ones. The parade of cheers and accolades echo long after the occasion has come and gone.
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