Changes

Life is made up of a series of changes.  To be alive is to be in a continual process of transformation. So why, as human beings do we resist change when it comes to us?

I had the great joy to spend the past week visiting my son, his wife, and my grandson who, after living in our house for a year, moved to California to pursue their dream of living at the beach. Living with Noah (my grandson) was so much fun. Watching him grow and interacting with him on a daily basis brought life to me so it was a big change when they moved away. I remember when my own children were young and our parents would come for a visit how hard it was for them to say goodbye. I thought that they were a bit melodramatic when it was time to leave because it always brought them to tears. But yesterday when I knelt down to give Noah a kiss and hug goodbye I was swept away with emotion. Now I understand the deep love and connection that grandparents feel toward their grandchildren. In my heart I know that this change is good and right but it still hurts.

During this trip to California, my daughter, Emily, was united in marriage.  She and her husband, Ryan, committed their lives to one another at the beach where my son Zach and his family now live. If they had not moved to this beach, chances are Emily and Ryan would not have been married there. It was a perfect day and as the sun was setting over the Pacific Ocean, Emily and Ryan pledged their love and devotion to one another. What a grand celebration it was to witness my daughter so happy and filled with love. At the reception, we had a time to speak a blessing over Emily and Ryan. My mother offered a blessing to both of them as they began their new life together.  My mother was given the gift of watching their love blossom and grow from its inception. This is because Emily has been living with my mom for the past four years since the death of my dad. My parents had been married for fifty-two years when my dad died so this change was enormous for my mom. Emily coming to live with her was truly a gift from God to ease the pain and loss that she was experiencing. Change is painful when love runs deep. My mom’s love for Emily is deep and losing her to Ryan is good and right but it still hurts.

Life moves forward and change will always come. Zach’s wife, Erika, announced that she was pregnant while we were there. So our second grandchild is being formed in their mother’s womb. The anticipation of who this person will be brings me a sense of wonder. I already have love in my heart for this little one and they are only about the size of a peanut.  I look forward to the day that we will meet face to face.

Letting go is what change is all about. We have to let go of what is so that we can make space for what is to come. When we arrived home last night we were faced with another slight change. A few years ago, our daughter, Marianne, adopted three ducks that a friend of hers was giving away. My husband, Bruce, loves animals and became their caretaker. He always names his animals and has quite a relationship with them. This has brought life to everyone else who lives here. About a year ago one of our ducks escaped from the safety of their pen and our dog Rusty killed her. It was a sad day. Last night history repeated itself and another duck had fallen into the jaws of Rusty. When we got to the duck she was very wounded and we knew that it was time to let her go. It was so sad to see her downcast head as she struggled to breath. So with compassion in his heart, Bruce put her out of her misery. Ducks are social creatures and now we only have one duck so it is time to let her go as well. Our local feed store will find her a new home. The era of the ducks is over.

Everything that is alive will someday die. But without death there is no resurrection. As we learn to accept change in our lives and let go, we make room for new growth. Love is what makes change so difficult. When we love something or someone we do not want to let go. The deeper the love the more difficult the letting go becomes. Our hope rests in knowing that resurrection awaits!

God give us the strength to embrace change rather than resist change believing that new life will come.

The Beauty of the Ordinary

     

Today is the 4th anniversary of this blog and so I decided to celebrate by sharing my first post. So if you missed it the first time around, enjoy!

     I have been a bird watcher for many years. They are such beautiful and interesting creatures. I envy their ability to fly from place to place and explore the earth with such ease and grace. A bird’s eye view is having a grand view from on high. As I look out my window, I see birds lighting on the very tips of the pine trees that line my driveway. This gives them a 360-degree view of their surroundings. I sometimes think that they are looking for the next destination or maybe for something to eat. However, there are other times that I think they are just resting and taking in the spectacular view.

            Since moving to the country a few years back, my husband, Bruce, and I have enjoyed watching the many types of birds that fly over our property. We see and hear flocks of wild Canadian geese, flocks of barn swallows, owls, vultures, bats, and a wide variety of colorful wild birds. But the birds that excite us the most are the eagles and the hawks. Bruce is particularly drawn to red tail hawks. God has used these creatures to speak to him over the years in some very profound and meaningful ways. So much so that he chose the name Red Tail Woodworks for his new business. One day this summer we had a great surprise when our future son-in-law, Ryan, walked into our house carrying a feather he found on our property from a Red Tail hawk. The feather displays the beauty of this bird with its rich rusty color sprinkled with black and white. This was no ordinary feather. Just one single feather displays the majesty of the bird!

     Today is the beginning of my 55^th year on the planet, so after dropping a friend off at school, instead of going home I decided to take a walk on my favorite trail. I feel the presence of God when I am surrounded by creation. As I was walking along the path I noticed a feather on the ground. It was black and quite ordinary as feathers go so I just kept on walking. And as I continued down the path an inner voice said to go back and get that feather. I had a little conversation with myself as to whether I should listen to that voice but decided to see if God had something to say to me so I walked back and retrieved my prize. I remember as a child how much I loved finding feathers. They are so unique in their design. Each feather is one of a kind and yet they are all similar in form. This led me to consider how this is true about people as well. Each person is a unique creation, designed and crafted by the Creator and yet similar in form. Like these two feathers, some, by appearance stand out in the crowd while others are quite ordinary, just like the birds that they came from.

This train of thought led me to consider how I have wanted to be spectacular like the eagle or the hawk and yet I find that I am more like the raven, quite ordinary. As I was pondering these things I thought about how in the human race there are very few individuals that stand out in the crowd and leave a lasting mark in the world that out-lives their own lifetime. It is true that we will be remembered by our family for a generation or two but after that time has passed the memories of our existence will be no more. Of all the billions of people that live throughout time, are some more precious to God than others? Clearly some are more precious to us as human beings. Are some more spectacular than others by virtue of how they look or what they do? Clearly this is part of the condition of the human race. We love to have heroes and celebrities to adore and we find them in all walks of life. So is it wrong for people to stand out in the crowd? The answer of course is no. I am glad that God created eagles and hawks in all of their splendor. I get a thrill out of seeing them soar far above in the azure sky. And just like the birds, I am thankful for the many outstanding human beings that have lived throughout the ages. My heroes are the men and women who have gone before me and given their lives for the good of others. There are far too many to name but two of my favorites are Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King Jr. I am thankful that God has given me living examples of how to give my life away.

Each person is a gift to the world. Everyone has the same Creator whose love is given freely to all. It doesn’t matter whether you are an eagle or a raven; you are a precious gift to the world given by your Creator. There are many more ravens in this world than there are eagles or hawks. Ravens are actually very beautiful birds and considered to be among the world's most intelligent animals, but because of their commonness we tend to overlook them. So let us be glad in who we are and enjoy the abundant variety of people that we share life with on the earth!

Luke 12:24
Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!