There and Back Again

How many times have we gone on trips as a way of running away from our daily lives? We think something new and different will change our perspective, giving us a fresh view, and a new appreciation for the everyday things that fill our time. We seek cathedrals, or amusements, or just a place to sit and rest and read. All come and go, and we find ourselves missing what we left behind, thankful for the experiences we've gathered while away, but grateful to return to our lives, refreshed and renewed. Memories are grand, and places visited and people seen become part of who we are, enriching our lives and enhancing them with a new understanding. So, go, do, see, feel, run, walk, visit, learn, and then come back hopefully a better person for what you have gained.

Once in a Lifetime.......

There was a black spot on the sun yesterday - once in a lifetime. Man walked on the moon - once in a lifetime. America was discovered - once in a lifetime. The human genome was mapped - once in a lifetime. The Queen celebrated her diamond jubilee - once in a life time. These are all significant events to many, many people, but to view them as life-changing for anyone more than those intimately involved is stretching the point. We are live lives consisting of once-in-a-lifetime moments. Every breath, every thought, every attitude, every action has bearing on the rest of our existence here, so all moments hold the potential to be monumental. All we need do is live them as such. Our perspective should change from, "Man, I gotta get through another day" to "Man, I get to live through another day!" If we look at what we've been blessed with, then we can appreciate what comes our way, no matter if it what we want or not. Everything that you get, and everything that happens to you helps to make you who you are. God is building us one brick at a time, so we really have to be patient and wait to see what the outcome of our latest adventures will be. We live one moment at a time. We learn, hopefully, one moment at a time. Therefore, look forward to each second your alive, anticipate what might be, and don't be surprised by the serendipitous nature of life. Rejoice in the unexpected, and embrace the diversity of your experiences.

Rain as a Way of Thinking

Rainy days have to come, it's just a fact of nature. If it weren't for them, how could we fully appreciate the sunny ones? And, really, think about it. What's as refreshing as a gentle, steady, warm summer rain, especially when you can go out into it, getting drenched to the bone, and feeling the cleansing power of the Creator in every drop that falls?
Rainy days help keep things green, replenish ground water, remind us of times in our lives when other rains have fallen. When we have found ourselves in the dry times of trouble and doubt, it has been the rain of Truth that alleviates them, quenching the questions, and pouring down a soothing understanding.
Rain envelops the world in a cocoon of potential, covering and causing the metamorphic, as it serves to prepare us and the world for the Light that follows. Rain has form but has no shape, iridescence but has no color, life-giving qualities while not being alive. It is truly one of God's greatest wonders.