After a friend’s funeral on Saturday and the news of my nephew’s cancer this week, it feels like treason that life should go on. I carry so many people in my heart these days (and I think that I mean the heart of my spirit). So, even if I blog about something silly like lounge chairs, I am still praying for my dear ones and hoping for peace and comfort for all. My pillow is wet with tears each night, as is my shirt as I find myself driving with tears streaming down my face. I find myself worried that people might see the dried tears on my face that seem to crackle when I try to smile. With our faith we will make it through and I plan to make life as joyful as I can.
I will be pursuing some very simple joys. I’m getting some lawn chairs. We’ll be having more outdoor parties lit with Christmas lights and Japanese lanterns. We’ll have long afternoons together reading and playing in the sprinklers. This also means there will be more hugging and fewer rants about a messy floor. It probably means I’ll make dessert now and then, too.
Life is teaching me to Grab the Memories and Make them Count.
I finished reading Julia Child’s memoir of her life in Paris. I have no interest in French cooking or any other kind of cooking these days, but the words were a delight and a retreat. I loved the book because her voice broke through the mass of words (many in French…argh!). I was reminded of the attraction a person holds when she loves what she doing and she is pursuing a worthy goal.
I want to be like that, not with cooking, but in my pursuit of the abundant life, which is
- A life of peace and service,
- A life of sacrifice mixed with spontaneous delightful memories,
- A life lived worthily and capably, giving credit to the True Source of all that is good,
- A life full of Christ-centered and family focused events and pastimes,
- A life savored during the good times and cherished during the bad,
- A life that nurtures a real relationship with my Father in Heaven.
Hoping you are finding joy pursuing your own abundant life,
Angie