The Things That Lie Ahead

January 2, 2012

One of the benefits of being a teacher is having a nice break during the Christmas season. Tomorrow, it’s back to work. I consider it the blessing of the Almighty to be content with the time off and with returning to work. I will, however, admit to figuring out there are about 450 more work days until I formally retire.

Most of us take time to reflect on the past year and to speculate what the new one will bring. I too have some plans hatching and look forward to a few special things. I feel a great sense of accomplishment having the album (well SEASONED) completed and available for sale (now on Indieheaven and soon on iTunes and Amazon). Through the marvel of Facebook, I have met many new friends and been in touch with some I haven’t seen since high school.

In addition to the celebration of Christmas, during my break I was able to take some day trips with my daughter and older granddaughter, spend a little extra time with my husband, and host some pretty good dinners at home with friends and family. I found a few ornaments in the after-Christmas sales, and one of them was a donut. “You have to get it,” my daughter cajoled. She was right and so was the price. It was a reminder to us both of a book I’m supposed to write. Maybe 2012 will be the year.

That very morning, I had been inspired to write the Introduction to Cafeteria Covenant – the Voice from the Quiet Years. It’s a story that will surprise and hopefully inspire others. It’s about how I came to really believe in the promises God has given us. To learn more, you can download the Preface and Introduction from my website FREE (livwellseedco.com/links). The first four chapters are also free to anyone who signs up for my mailing list. With just four chapters left to write, it’s very likely Cafeteria Covenant will be complete before my Easter break.

The donut-related book is a children’s story I hope to write and illustrate, called “Eye on the Donut.” It draws its theme from a poem I remember from my childhood, called the Optomist’s Creed (one of several, I’m sure), and it was written on the wall of a donut shop where my dad used to take my brother and me when I was very young. Finding the ornament that particular day was God’s way of encouraging me to continue… But, it seems fitting to share the poem with you, along with my wishes for all of God’s wonderful blessings for you and yours this year:

"As you ramble on through life, my friend,

whatever be your goal;

Keep your eye upon the donut

and not upon the hole!"

Spreading the Joy

It's December 5 and I've done all my Christmas shopping. That's pretty unusual. The cards are also ready and waiting to be written and sent. Again, unusual. There are songs filling my heart, new ones, about miracles and Christmas. One song I wrote and sang is being played around the world this Christmas. More than unusual, extraordinary. Today may be the unusual day when all the songs on my new album, well SEASONED, come back from mastering and ship right off for duplication. This morning, I awoke to find that 20 people had "liked" my facebook music ministry page, Livingwell Seed Co. That's a 33% increase overnight! Now maybe some of those people have come from hearing Rock of Ages Lullaby on the radio somewhere in the country or the world, but it's an unusually extraordinary increase. But I have a dozen new people following this little blog, too!

This year, I've bumped into an extraordinary bunch of people 'outside the walls'. They're just out there doing what we all should do: helping one another. But that, too can be pretty unusual. They're bloggers, and my unusual friend, the Miki of Miki's Hope thought I might like to join them in the blessing of giving... in the miracle of people helping people. And, I'm happy to participate in their unusual blogging and giving away... (Read more about it at: http://www.onebusymoma.net/2011/12/bloggers-giving-back-christmas-for-kids.html).

Lots of people need help this year. Why not get together with someone else and go out and do whatever you can. If everyone does a little something for someone, God will be unusually pleased!

Have a blessed week!

Plans for you...

The big dinner is planned, the pie crusts are rolling and the rolls are rising.

Well, maybe not. For some, it is the beginning of a seasonal struggle. Inundated with Norman Rockwell-ian images of family feasts, their hearts begin to sink through the sidewalks. We have heard it said that it is “better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all” (Tennyson, 1851). Surely, once we have tasted love, it is never forgotten, even though its absence can be painful. But, this absence can be a sinkhole in the midst of the joyous landscape.

There are soup lines and community feasts for those that want to go. But, that may not be the answer for you. After all, you don’t really know anybody, so you can still feel alone. “God knows,” you shrug. “He must have a reason for wanting me to be go through this.”

I’m sure He does, but it may not be the reason you have in mind.

First and foremost, recognizing that He really does have a plan for you is vital. If you don’t know that, you are going to drift out of the harbor. So, put down your anchor in the hope of His goodness and His plan. “I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for” Jeremiah 29:11, The Message.

He’s not making light of your pain and neither am I. But, it won’t go away unless you fill it with something else. And that is His never ending love for you. I’m not talking about denying the emptiness. I’m talking about not denying that His plan is good. If it isn’t good, it’s not His plan.

So, find a quiet spot and sit there for a few minutes. Re-focus. Look at things from His perspective. He is ready to show you that you are just the person He needs to go visit some folks in the hospital and bring them a smile. Maybe you are the one that should be serving the mashed potatoes at the soup kitchen. I don’t know what God will show you, but I do know this: He won’t show you anything unless you really want to see. And when you do see it and you go do it, you will be wondering what happened to the sinkhole!

God is all about doing new things, you see. He has never resigned as the Creator. Don’t waste time looking back at what was. Look forward to His plan for you… with thanksgiving!

Intrapersonal Learning is the blogspot of Livingwell Seed Co.