My Internet was down so I went to the local university. A deadline was impending, and I pounded out the words.
When I stepped out of the lab, two trees towered over me. The leaves were mauve, almost see-through purple, with hints of pink, red, and green.
In the distance the hills had started to splash with color.
And to think I almost missed it.
My head was bent down. My arms loaded with a laptop, books, a Bible, and a strawberry-banana smoothie.
I had one goal: to get to my car.
But those trees…
How many times do I miss the beauty around me while I strive toward a goal or destination?
How many times am I impatient with someone — possibly turning their entire day in a new direction — because I’m so focused on where I’m going that I fail to see the person standing in front of me?
Sometimes I’m so busy planning for the future, I forget the value of now.
Take a moment.
What do you hear?
Look around you.
What do you see?
Look at that child playing in the corner. Notice the curl in his hair. Appreciate his smile.
{{The pic is of my beautiful grandson, Josiah. Isn’t he wonderful?}}
Look at the flowers in your garden. Take a deep breath. Smell.
What just came alive to you as you appreciate the value of now?
I agree! I have recently started stoping to see the now in life. All the beauty God created that we don’t even pay attention to.
Loved this post and your photo was amazing!
I listen to the birds and how they are singing out their praise to God. I don’t want to be the person that tips someone else’s day in a sour direction. Thanks for the reminder!
So true Suzie! God bless you as you write and encourage hearts with your words. May you take time to enjoy THIS DAY and all the gifts God has for you in it. Thanks for being one of my favorite reads.
Whenever I see hummingbirds at the feeder, I stop to watch them. I never get tired of it and consider them little miracles.
Great post.
Suzie I love this! I have been blessed to travel around doing home health for many years now. I have a greater awareness and appreciation for the things around me and it definitely overflows to my writings. I think God has had it in His plans all along so that He could inspire me through His awesome creation!
Love those pictures!
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I was so excited when I saw this today. I knew God was telling me to sit down, slow down, been going non-stop all day. Needed a Christian break with you. You heal my soul so often and this week has been exceptionally stressful. We are going on vacation this Sat. and will be gone until the 27th. It is only five days but that is five days more than last year. My spouse a wonderful Christian man, my SS teacher, best friend, and love of my life is so special to me. God is working extra-hard on me making me take a very hard look at myself. How my life is stressed, My fault no one else’s. I have forgotten how to manage my time and then get stressed and end up often taking it out on him. God has shown me clearly as a result of a couples Bible Study that we are doing at our church that He wants me to make some major changes in my life. I am working hard on reading the lessons and trying to be faithful to the promises I am making to God as a result of this study. I am a sinner, more selfish than I realized and when I get stressed I end up hurting him which hurts us.
I made up my mind this week that this has to change HERE and NOW…. I have apologized to him and have tried to really work on keeping each promise I have made to him. It is a second marriage for both of us. We are both Christians and want to dedicate our daily lives to Him and let our let shine out and tell more people we know about how our lives have changed as a result of Him being Our Lord and Savior.
I love to work out in my garden, have had to change from a shade garden to totally new sun garden. Major work. I was fortunate enough to have a friend come one day and give me three hrs. of labor, transplanting, splitting and moving the shade plants to the other side of the yard/house. Then planted a sun garden. Lots of hard work but it look so awesome, I was able to give him about twenty plants that we split and he was so happy to have them. He has a landscaping business on his own. Does awesome work and is a great new friend. I love being able to spend time in the garden, time with -I always pray when I plant new plants and pray for those I am able to share.
My spouse was unemployed twice last year so it was a no vacation, tight budget year. He found a new job Dec. 15rh, loves it, is so good at what he does and now it looks like this job may end due to the lack of patients that are in the VNA associations care. So, we may be looking at another lay-off but prayed about it and have decided to trust God and know whatever He allows to happen He will also take care of us. We are driving six hours this Sat. staying at a B&B for three nights then driving back home and staying in a motel over night and doing some touring in Springfield IL. We live in Waterloo, IL. I am feeling so excited and blessed just to get away with him and have some fun, time quiet time, good time together. We have saved for it have the money and won’t be foolish in spending and just need the time away. I cannot wait. He is now outside cutting the grass, it is in the nineties and has promised to take brakes. Drink a lot of tap water and be careful. God bless him. God has blessed us so much this past year. I have an on-going health issue that has put some limits on what I can and cannot do and I am trying to stay within those parameters Mostly I have to listen to my body, take rests, breaks, read my Bible and try to not feel guilty. God is blessing me daily. Thanks for your awesome pictures and sharing. God bless you..
What a truly wonderful message that is in need of a reminder. I am a fine artist and have (and I don’t say this proudly or easily) with some wonderful gifts. I have always loved going out, in the Fall and smelling the leaves as settle in to nourish it’s next generation.The Winter, in it’s crisp stark beauty and silence.The Spring filing the world with delicious fragrances and the colors of new life starting it’s cycle yet, again. The Summer when our world is bursting with warmth and joy.
Because of a number of surgeries, I have not been able t work, but it has given me time to see and an opportunity to use my gifts to show Our Lord’s precious gifts to an unseeing world. I need to take walks, which have gone past the healing necessity, To just walking slowly to savor the blessings of this world. I can stand and look at the magnificence of a great and massive tree or bend down to smell a rose, for long periods of time . And…………………………..the animals, to know them as the amazing and beautiful creatures that they are and to realize that were entrusted to us to care for and protect.
There is so much that is missed by the hustle and bustle of our increasingly fast moving world. What a wonderful message, Suzi. I think that what you have shared here, is so much what our Lord wishes for us to do ~ to know and feel this Earth that He has Blessed us with.
Thank you