From God Bless to Go Bless

My mind and body are finally starting to defrost.  The momentum of the new year and my determination to “get back to normal” have been on hold. Bitter temperatures, snow, and ice descended on the Atlanta metro last weekend just as I was recovering from the holiday season.  Where else but Georgia in January can you have a 4^o wind chill one Saturday and 65^o the next?

In order to move forward, it helps me to have an inspiration, a goal, or a plan as I navigate the 355 days left in 2017. These quotes express my desire to make my days count this year.

“What the New Year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the New Year.” – Vern McLellan

“We all get the exact same 365 days. The only difference is what we do with them.”

– Hillary DePiano

January is a good time to look back and to look forward. In spite of the challenges and difficulties of last year, I choose to celebrate my many blessings. Blessings are wonderful, but the question is what will I do with them? Will I hoard them or share them? 

The child’s nighttime prayer is to bless mommy, daddy, little sister, big brother, etc. That is great for a child, but it should not be the totality of our adult prayer. If God has already blessed greatly, should we ask for more?

Compared to much of the world, we have more blessings than we deserve. If we have something in abundance, our goal should be to share that abundance with others. 2017 would be a good year for me to ask God each day to make me a blessing to someone else. How would that show up in real life?  Kind words for the person who waits on me at the bank and grocery store. Lending a helping hand to someone in need or offering to pray for somebody who is hurting. These are simple acts of kindness.

An elderly man jumped on the mother of two at the Ft. Lauderdale airport to protect her from the recent shooting.  He whispered to her, “I will protect you.” Both of their lives were spared by his heroic act. We never know when we might have the same opportunity to spring into action. If we make a habit of passing along blessings to others each day, an unselfish act will be second nature for us.

When I think about sharing my blessings, I recall a church hymn I used to sing years ago:

“Out in the highways and byways of life,

Many are weary and sad;

Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife,

Making the sorrowing glad.

Refrain:

Make me a blessing, make me a blessing,

Out of my life may Jesus shine,

Make me a blessing, O Savior I pray;

Make me a blessing to someone today.”

—Ira B. Wilson (1909)

Who can you bless today?

Out with the Old

Old winter clothes have to go.

It’s that glorious time of year in Georgia when warmer days prompt the trees to burst forth with color. I feel bad for my friends and family up north still stuck with below freezing temps and wrapped up in quilts and heavy sweaters. But I can’t wait to purge my closet of its drab clothes in favor of brighter ones. When I pack up my flannels, corduroys, heavy sweaters, and fleece I declare that winter is in its last gasp and will soon give way to the warmer days of spring and summer. I recently took two days and several trips up and down to the basement closet to make the swap. About the time I started the task, the thermometer took another plunge below freezing just to remind me who’s in charge.

Old eating habits have to go.

Climbing those stairs gave me some much needed exercise and made me realize how out of shape I am. Too many carbs and too many days piled in the recliner wrapped in a quilt have taken a toll on my body. Trying on some of last year’s clothes has been very painful. Well, let’s put in plainly—they don’t fit.  Ugh—I have to lose weight. It’s time to cut way back on the comfort food of winter and lighten up my diet with lots more fruit and veggies. It’s also time to take that daily walk to help burn some calories. How about a walk around the Mall instead looking at all the pretty new clothes?  The only problem is they won’t fit either.

Old ways of thinking have to go.

For the past few weeks our church has focused on the Sermon on the Mount during this Lenten season leading up to Easter. The words of Jesus in the book of Matthew have challenged my way of thinking. The eight Beatitudes or blessings in Matthew 5:1-10 tells the ways I am to live in relationship to God and to others. When I put into practice the challenge of the each Beatitude, I receive a blessing from the hand of God. The lesson of each Beatitude is not to focus on
self, but to focus on those around me. In our self-oriented, me-first society, it is indeed a new way of thinking. As you prepare for Easter Sunday and the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, consider His words from the Sermon on the Mount.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Have a Blessed Easter.

Our Far Flung Family

It’s the time of year when many families are planning large family gatherings and times of celebration. Since Charles and I have only a few family members who live close by, our holiday events are usually small. This year Christmas came early and all before Thanksgiving! Frieda’s son, Stuart and his family visited from Toronto, Canada on Veterans’ Day weekend.  His wife, Ruth, along with granddaughters Rose and Belle, really enjoyed the Atlanta area shopping and filled their suitcases to the limit of their customs’ allotment. Then they filled their bellies with Chick-Fil-A, barbecue, and Mexican food which are not available in Toronto. They safely flew home before the first major blast of winter hit their area. 

Four days later my niece Sally, from Rochester, New York, came for a visit since her husband was in Atlanta for a convention. We had lunch with my other niece, Sandy, and enjoyed travelling down memory lane. They left Monday just as the lake effect blizzard was crossing the Great Lakes. They have been stranded in a Motel 6 ever since with their car buried under massive mounds of snow. They are staying warm, but food for two days was limited to the contents of a vending machine. I just received word that a McDonald's in the area opened with walking distance of the motel. With no winter clothes between them it was a very cold trek, but at least they got some hot food. It’s probably two more days before they can travel.

Today Charles’ grandson, Jesse, flies in from Hawaii to join his wife and three girls. He was able to get leave from the Air Force and, hopefully, can stay through Thanksgiving. They are staying elsewhere, but will visit with us this weekend.

Then Frieda’s college-age granddaughter, Marcella, takes a break from her studies at Texas A&M and arrives here a week from today. We will have a great time catching up with her life and doing some Black Friday shopping. 

It’s an exciting time for us to be ground zero for so many family members. This is one year I will sail through the Christmas season very thankful to have been so blessed by the presence of our far flung family.

During the holidays there is a special joy in sharing with those who hold a special place in our hearts.  Psalm 128:5 (TLB) “May the Lord continually bless you with heaven’s blessings as well as with human joys.”

                                    Nieces Sandy DuVall, Sally Weidert, and Frieda enjoying lunch