Inspired

I've been itching for a few days to sit down and write.  Typically the words need the time to fill the space in my head and spill out naturally.  I'm a thinker - reflection is a part of my day whether I like it or not and when there are big things going on, I typically need a second to let this mind of mine catch up and wrap itself around it.

My last 6 months have been a bit of a whirlwind.  A whirlwind, I know, I haven't been in charge of on purpose.  Over the years God has taught me to go with the flow - and just as the Spirit moves within us, God is never wrong. So, with all my type A, planning personality - I've tried with all my might to surrender everything and ask my fearless leader to lead me, walking a wobbly step or two behind like a blindfolded kid being steered in the direction of a treasure-filled pinata.

  ..And suddenly I hit that sucker.  I have come to this place where so many things finally add up- like treasures scattered around me and they make some real sense.  I say suddenly like all of it happened overnight.  It did not.  Over years I've taken my fair share of swings - just catching air with valiant effort.  I have been the reader of this story as it slowly unfolds, consistently wondering what is up - constantly wondering why this old soul, tender heart and busy mind combined in me exactly the way they have.  But as I've watched the process of God moving in my life, I am indeed amazed, yet again, by the magnificence of the Spirit which grows inside of us as we build our relationship with "the numba one stunna".  Again and again I am reminded of the vastness and capabilities of God and as much as I plan and fret, everything is already taken care of - just like the birds of the air...  and now I see the purpose.

With all these things on my horizons, I am learning to exhale the breath I feel like I've been holding for decades.  I realize, I don't need to hold my breath - I just need to breathe and be at peace.  Feeling a bit like a little girl who has just lost her training wheels on her first bike, I find this to be the ride of my life- exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time.  I know I've got a ways to go, but I'm finding my pedals and legs are connected already.

"We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring, will be to arrive where we started, and know the place for the first time. Through the unknown, remembered gate, when the last of earth left to discover is that which was the beginning;  At the source of the longest river, the voice of the hidden waterfall - and the children in the apple tree, not known, because not looked for, but heard - half heard, in the stillness between two waves of the sea.  Quick now, here, now, always. A condition of complete simplicity - costing not less than everything - and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well.  When the tongues of flame are in-folded into the crowned knot of fire.  And the fire and the rose are one." T.S. Eliot

The quote from T.S. Eliot I found while taking a creative writing class at Hong Kong International School.  It made sense at the time and fit my journey to China perfectly at 17 years old.  My first flying-solo trip and international flight alone. My first real starting a brand new school with all new faces.   All in one.  But the time away from home at 17 taught me so much about what I loved and needed - what it meant to really be home.  Reading the poem again now, it still applies because it makes me think of my own personal growth, the way my life perspectives have changed and developed over time - not just from the good things, but from the things that were the hardest hurdles for me to overcome.  Our sights change through our experience - like "Gold tested in fire"  we are God's constant projects and are being prepared for our own life's purpose before we are even aware of it.  God is keenly in tuned not only with our gifts, but also, with our needs. With all this preparation our insights and perspectives develop to see people, places and things in our lives which, likely, have been there - or at least nearby all along.

So, I'll leave you with some Alexi Murdoch so you can ponder your own journeys, plans, pinatas and bike rides.  Just don't forget where to find the air that fills your tires... and just breathe.

a little more love make it right...

Listening to: Abba, Lay your love on me

   (via Mama Mia)

So I'm not sure if you are familiar, but, my Dad had Olivia Newton John's Greatest Hits record (circa 1980).  By approximately 1986 this record could have been heard on a loop - complete with scratches made by the ultimate child fan who happend to figure out how to coerce the record player.  ...You should have seen my reaction when my Dad told me a few years later about Grease.  Wow.  Anyway - one of the songs which appeared in the greatest hits song list is the very title of this here blog entry. A little more love is not exactly the love song to live by, but I'd say there is a bit of a message in the chorus... will a little more love make it right? 

Applying these sentiments to everyday living is not always easy, but I have found it to be the right thing.  Love and appreciation, enthusiasm, sincerity and compassion contribute equally to an odd concoction called grace - a concept that is not always appreciated and accepted in the daily comings and goings of our society... and a part of me wonders if this is my theme for the year? Maybe. Maybe its more than grace... Maybe its knowing people. Maybe its loving the hiccups, or as my Dad and Dale Carnegie both say - maybe it's making lemonade out of lemons. - You add some sugar and sometimes something fun and spunky to spike it and suddenly that lemon is awesome and tastes like sunshine - but YOU have to add the sugar, and sometimes even the alcohol.  

One of my favorite passages is 1st Peter 4:8 - Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins.  It is not the sin - but the love.  It is covered.  Coverage means - to be or serve as a covering for; extend over; rest on the surface of; to place something over or upon, as for protection, concealment, or warmth. The sin is not registered or counted because it is covered, by love. In love itself is where grace can be found.  What would the world be like if we extended a little grace to each other?  

The other day someone posted on facebook that they were sitting in a cab on a busy street.  On one side of the street someone sneezed.  On the other side of the street someone said "Bless you." This is a little tid bit of what I'm talking about....

 

Over the last few months there's been a bit rockin' and hip hoppin' as is oh so typical.  Life gets crazy busy - but in the hustle and bustle I have encountered a few folks who have extended this same time, energy, enthusiasm, grace and coverage to me - some are old friends and some are new.  But with whatever wind has blown them in my direction they have made me incredibly grateful because their coverage has sustained me in more than a few less than stellar moments.

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control:

This is like the ultimate piggy-back ride "If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life..." I would recommend the list above.  I have a busy job.  Time and money go hand in hand every day - but the one thing I sometimes forget mid-busy-day is that time and money are definitely NOT why I have a job.  It is so easy to let the humanity aspect fly out the window and kick and scream and act like an unruly child - but we don't because we've got a little self-control.  Maybe in applying 8 things before self control might "back to the future" the whole idea completely - talk about turning your corner of the world a little upside down...  I have found my best days are when I get to help someone, make someone smile, make a difficult task a bit easier or eliminate a problem for someone else.  Sometimes I too need to be reminded that the people are more important than the time and money thing.  Yes, I know - I do 100% understand where time and money fit in the scenario - and yes, I agree that these things are imperative to running a business.  But, lately in managing a big hairy project, I am doing everything in my power to make sure the people on my team feel like they are actually on a team - contributing to great things with their efforts, ideas and actions. And I have to tell you, running a project this way has made me happier as a result - even in the midst of big hurdles and long hours there is light and laughter and support from everyone - it's a real team.  

The picture above I took while I was on a layover in Georgia a few months ago.  My flight that morning was SO early and I remember being crabby that the red-eye was the only flight out I could actually get.  I think it was right around 7:15 a.m. when I landed and took this shot.  I sat in the airport in front of this giant plate glass window and watched it rise for as long as I could and I remember thinking - the time to sit here and watch is such a gift.  Suddenly my lemon got a little sweeter...  So, in turn rewinding back to my scratching-Olivia Newton-John record days... The record was my Dad's.  I honestly never remember one complaint out of him over the fact that I scratched the living daylights out of this thing - but it became his gift to me because I loved it so much and he saw the joy I found in it.. a gift. 

So to all of you - there is someone whose life you touch every day in small and big ways.  I hope you realize the impact you can have on those who surround you. To those of you who cover me... you're my sugar and sometimes even the alcohol in my lemonade. :)