lifefullyinhabited

Into my basket of beauties this weekend, I added a small bouquet of grape hyacinths placed in an antique creamer from my Grandma Hoover.

 I took time to thank the Lord for the strong, hard-working hands of the man I share my life with. 

With the chilly days returning, cozy blankets and hot coffee are once again primary comforts.

Over-the-counter pain relievers are little miracles for the aches and pains of arthritis showing up even at my relatively young age.

Tulips are budding, on the cusp of great glory.

Drove past a yard where a single  flowering almond bush was extravagantly declaring to the world, “Look at me, ain’t I grand?  Don’t I look like cotton candy?”

Bittersweet Sunday service:  rejoicing with palm branches waving, crying over the prayers for a dear friend’s husband who is fighting cancer.

Precious time with a long-time friend over dinner.

Hearing the siren song of the earth, sweetly beckoning me to dig, dig, dig!

Grandma's antique creamer with a bouquet of grape hyacinths

Psalm 63:5:  “My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.”

This is such a beautiful verse for a soul such as mine.  A soul that struggles with food.  A soul that uses food to satisfy longings that have nothing to do with hunger.

The psalmist is proclaiming to be satisfied with the LORD, soul-satisfied.  I want to learn to be that satisfied with the Lord, the kind of lingering pleasure in Him.

I know when I’ve had a really great meal, with tasty food, well-cooked, well-seasoned.  I know the kind of lingering delight that stays with me.  Lip-smacking, finger-licking, yummy-in my tummy goodness.  A meal I might remember for days.  A meal I want to repeat again.

That is the kind of satisfaction. 

Chew on this for awhile (pun intended!): In order to have soul filling God goodness, I have to give my lips and mouth something else to do besides eating.  Instead of “smacking”  my lips should be singing!  Instead of chewing, my mouth should be praising!

This week, I hope and pray that each of you, my dear friends, will be able to find some healthy substitutes for the habits that get you side-tracked.  Search God’s word and find a verse, like I did here, and cling to the hope you find.

Share it and pass on the blessings!

Love and peace, Vicki

It would be nice to know when the huge pile of mulch is coming.  We called to order the delivery and they said they would call us, and someone needed to be home when it was delivered.  But which day?  We were on stand-by.

Now, when a big pile of mulch is coming, I would like to be prepared.  There’s some old ratty garden clothes to find.  Some old shoes.  The work gloves.  We need to dig out the wheelbarrow, the shovel, the rake.  We might need to warn the neighbors.  And when a big pile of mulch is coming, I like to be prepared.  I might put off other strenuous chores so I have the energy to tear into the mulch.  I might have to reschedule appointments or prepare dinner ahead of time.  Did I mention that I like to be prepared?

I started thinking that sometimes life just dumps a great big pile of mulch on your front lawn without calling ahead of time to warn you that its coming.  I hate that, don’t you.

I like to be prepared.  Sometimes life happenings just don’t give you much warning.

I don’t have any deep theological arguments to give you or me that can put it all in perspective.  I’ll leave that to the theologians.

My plan is to just prepare what I can ahead of time and then just enjoy the days.  When the big pile of mulch comes, I’ll know it.

And then we tackle the pile one shovel at a time.

And the big piles of trouble or bad news that get dumped in our lives, I think, have to be handled in a similar way. 

If you are prepared by having a right relationship with God, good relationships with others, then enjoy life!

When the big pile of bad news arrives, you will know it.  And then you handle it one shovelful at a time. 

“Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Jesus, in the New Testament, Matthew 6:28

Have a worry-free day, Vicki

                                “But I am living one life in particular, and that life must be fully inhabited for me to thrive as an artist.”  Julia Cameron, Finding Water   p. 38

I found this quote  last week while reading this book on creativity.  I really like this quote.  I think it applies to all human beings, not just artists or those aspiring to be artists.  I have thought about this all week:  what does it mean for me to live a life fully inhabited?  Is my life fully inhabited?

I can answer the second question more readily.  I live partially inhabited.  Part of me lives like I want to live someone else’s life.  I don’t always embrace the life I have. 

Even writing that, I cringe.  In writing that, I have to admit to petty jealousies,  small envies, and blatant ungratefulness.

So, what will I do to fully inhabit my life?  LONG PAUSE  Honesty:  I have to start with confession. 

            Lord, I’m sorry for not fully appreciating the life I have.  I’m sorry for sticking my nose over the fence to sniff around someone else’s newly mown lawn.  I’m sorry for thinking that lawn doesn’t have weeds and it’s not fair!

Next, I have to realize I have the rest of my whole life to fully inhabit it.

I don’t have to do everything on my “bucket list” today.  I can pace myself.  Start small.

I don’t have to have it all figured out today.  Whew!  All that I have to do is the next right thing.

I intend to spend the rest of my life discovering what it means to fully inhabit my life.

“Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”  Paul, letter to the Ephesians chapter 5,verse 15.