Spring 2019 Newsletter
Springs is here. For reals! With each bloom, I am reminded of where I was last year when the same trees bloomed under very different circumstances. Last year, I watched spring unfold from my bedroom windows. On a good day, I worked my way to the patio, shaky step by shaky step. My backyard become a place of solitude. Slowly drinking my cup of coffee in the presence of my friend Jesus, I reflected on the baby steps I was taking in my healing process.
Photo by Pixabay at Pexels
It is the change in the season that causes me to stop and look back. In the middle of summer (or the middle of winter), the days run together. There are no markers. But when the seasons change, the shift itself is a memory marker. Today, a gentle wind is knocking down white blossoms, causing sheets of tiny white petals to flitter down like snow. The sight takes me back in an instant to past spring days just like this one. I love this about the few but memorable days when seasons change.
This week, as the change is unfolding before my eyes, I am reminded of the unfolding of last spring. I find it easy to remember the big victories and the big set-backs of last spring. They shout loud in my memory. It's more difficult to remember the baby steps of progress. The gentle whispers of encouragement. I'm so glad I kept a journal. It is when I take the time to reflect over my journal entries that God reminds me of his faithfulness. Reminders that I need every day. My trials shift every so slightly, yet Jesus is constant. His faithfulness never changes.
The Jewish Calendar and Christian Church Calendar have built-in reminders like this. Our family doesn't mark many of the Church Calendar dates and I'm kind of sad about that. Yet, with Creation, God has built-in his own reminder system for me. I love it and have decided to join hands with God in this seasonal reflection. I hope you'll join me. Beginning today, I'm going to stop at the end of each season to reflect. And I'm going to share this reflection with YOU, in the form of a newsletter.
Welcome to my first Quarterly Newsletter!
This will be just for my subscribers. (I'm posting the first one here on the blog so y'all know what I'm talking about when I say, "Newsletter." But if you want to continue getting these, you'll need to fill in the Subscribe Box at the top.) In my quarterly newsletter, I will list a few things I've been reflecting on, a few things I can't stop talking about, and at least one thing I am working on. A little bit of serious, a little bit of fun. I'd love for you to share your list too. Join me in reflecting upon the goodness of God, in the details.
Spring 2019
What I'm Reflecting On: The Constancy of God
Springs comes every year, no matter my circumstances. I cannot get enough of the cool sunshine. Short walks in my neighborhood. White blossoms from our Pear Tree blowing in the breeze. God is faithful to bring a new day, a new season. His faithfulness is constant.
This spring, I have not spent one night in the hospital. I may have had a few "tune-ups" and the coughs are not fun, but my body goes on. Life goes on. He enables me to breathe again. And again. And again. He is the constant source of life I can depend on.
This spring, our missionary friends from Papua New Guinea came to visit during their furlough. We spend a few days with them every four years. The kids get older and taller, but the friendships stay the same. God is at work in our friends and the people they serve. His call and his enabling remain constant.
What I Can't Stop Talking About:
Solitude - The spiritual discipline of space... space in my mind and in my schedule for God to speak to me. I'm addicted!
Enneagram - Oh my goodness. Never has a personality-type system made so much sense. I have learned how my fears drive my behavior, and how faith in God drives out those fears. Now, I get why I am drawn to certain ministry work and why I am so fulfilled in the ways I am serving now. God has created us in such amazing detail!
ADHD - More on this later.
ThredUp - After a year of waiting for the lost weight to return, I gave up. Restocking my entire wardrobe is a bit out of the budget. But ThredUp just made it possible for me to afford 2 pairs of pants from Anne Taylor, 2 shorts from Anne Taylor and 1 pair of shorts from Eddie Bauer for $100. Score!
Flowers for the backyard - I think, maybe, it might be possible to grow Zinnias in my backyard. Hello, fresh cut flowers!
What I'm Working On:
A Challenge for me. And I hope you'll join in. More to come....
What are your reflections this spring?