Today I looked at the expanse of the blue sky and imagined myself an eagle flying from one end of heaven to the other. What a beautiful world we live in. And how fortunate we are to live in America. We are free to pursue happiness, free to know God, free to make something of our lives. We have so many gifts from life. Why sit inside and ponder our problems, when you can take a walk in the afternoon sun and smell the roses and count the daffodils in your neighbor's yard. There are so many worlds just outside our window. We ponder the past, we fume over the present, we don't want to continue in the same vein every day of our lives. We complain about our jobs, when they provide us with the means we need to live. That isn't so bad. Without a job, we'd all be living in the streets.
There was something passed around one day at work, many years ago, about looking for answers to problems instead of being a part of the problem. If we engage out jobs, look for ways to be creative, even our distasteful jobs can be blessings too.
I haven't worked for 16 years. My husband took a position that would enable him to make enough for us to live on, and I was allowed to take an early out as a result of that decision. He has gone to work for 16 additional years and I've been free to do as I please. Although I get up every day and make his lunch and send him off to work, I am free for the rest of the day to do as I please, and I must say I have not made the best use of my time. But that has changed. I've found the energy I need to make my home a very peaceful place. Of course, when the grandchildren are here and all the game machines are on and there are pots and pans flying in the kitchen to make food for everyone, the peace is thinly stretched. But on the other hand, what a blessing that they WANT to be here. They live with their other Grandparents and Mom and they have a pool and a big house and all the toys you could imagine. We live in a manufactured home, we have a community pool, and we have little yard to speak of. But they absolutely love it here. My oldest Grandson at the age of 9 came to visit one day and he tole me "Grandma, I don't know what it is here, but it's AWESOME! It's the spirit of love. The Tao, God, whatever you choose to call it, it is real and it abides here in our hearts and minds and is a part of who we are and the spirit of our home is relaxed and comfortable. You are free here to be who you are, who you wish to be.
It is sad that some folks work 4 and 5 jobs to make lots of money to buy lots of things, but still they are not happy. It isn't in your possessions that you find joy. It is within your own soul and heart and mind. Jesus is always available to the wounded in life....always there to comfort to guide and to bless. But if you don't believe in Him and have found another path to your peace, you are also free to pursue that. Whatever gives you peace, you will find it in the acceptance here. We accept all people, of all colors, all beliefs, all lifestyles. We are open hearted, free spirited, and interested in every detail of life. It is a beautiful experience every day to see my roses and my Plumbago bush that has overtaken the yard, the jasmine growing up the front of the house and the rose garden my husband planted for me. It is a joy to greet my family and to realize I have one of the greatest gifts a loving God could ever give. A beautiful big family of my own. There are 14 of us counting all the grandchildren. If we include the other Grandma's and Grandpa's there are 18 of us. One year we had a family reunion and my sister and her daughter were here with her little boy and little girl and her husband. It was packed, but all the children played together like they'd always seen and been around one another. It was heaven. There was no huge table laid out in fine array with many dishes, just the simple fare of those who grew up on things I could coerce them into eating. They ate, they visited, we had a party, and we took pictures and blew up air mattresses for some of the family to sleep over....it was fun. That's something you'll find here as well. The freedom to just be. There is no rush to be anything else, to be somewhere else doing something other than living. You can run at a hectic pace all your life and never find peace. It is in the still moments, the expanse of Heaven, and the feeling of being free to fly like the huge eagles of my past. I hope you don't miss out on it while you are busy living. Take the time to stop, reflect on what it means to be free, and enjoy the expanse of heaven, the green meadows of an afternoon spent outdoors, and the freedom to worship as you please.
My wish for you is peace. I hope that you, in your many journeys, find the peace that waits at the end of the day for you, in your quiet moments of reverie before you fall asleep. Take time each day to just "be". You can call it meditation, prayer, introspection, whatever you choose to call it. But don't neglect your need of peace. It will sustain you in your everyday life and make life a joy that you would otherwise miss. Peace like a river flows through my soul...my life is filed with happiness and peace and I am truly blessed on planet earth. I wish you good fortune, good food, and an abundance of fun in your life. Otherwise, what's the living for?
Take care, find your peace, enjoy the moments of every hour. They are fleeting and only the memories go with you at journey's end. Gather them up like flowers in a basket and take them home with you.
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