The month of October has come and gone once again.  And with it, things have changed and life goes on. 

My mother-in-law passed away the ninth of October. Just the day after I wrote the last entry to my blog.  With her passing came a kind of peace knowing that she no longer had to endure a body that didn't respond the way it had just a year ago.  There was peace knowing that she had been given a new body in heaven.  There was a peace knowing that she was now talking, probably with my parents, about the three grandkids and great granddaughter they shared. There was peace knowing she is experiencing life that is incomparable to what we know here. But still there is an emptiness left by her leaving.  Hers is a place that cannot be filled.  Yet there is peace in knowing that we will see her again. I am thankful for the gift of knowing her.

October brought a change in family structure and, also, in seasons.  The leaves had never been more beautiful and brilliant as they were in October.  The weather here, normally somewhat sunny and in the sixties, was cold, rainy, and windy in October.  The leaves, now brown and blown from the trees, have found their way onto the yards hiding in bushes, and piled into great heaps by strong fall winds. 

Another birthday has past for me giving me another reason to pause and reflect on things that are most important to me.  God knows the desires of my heart and graciously arranged for time with family throughout the weekend.  There is no greater joy for me than to have all of us here, safe within these walls from the cold winds and gray skies.  Away, for a time, from the cares and the realities of life just to focus on the faces of those I love most.  To be blessed by their laughter, their experiences, and their news.  These are the birthday gifts I most enjoy and will remember in days to come.

October has come and gone once again.  And I thank God for His grace, His gifts, and His goodness as He has walked beside me each day.
Thank You, Lord! 

Moments of selah.  Pause, praise, lift up.

At church our pastors have led us through a series on worship.  This past Sunday was Celebration Sunday, a way of ending the series  and celebrating all we have learned through the series.  Selah was just one part of the messages. 

Finding the new theme for my posts, I came across this picture of a chair beside a lake.  Oh, to be in that chair just for a while.  To sit and think and be thankful.  But then I considered where I am right now.  In the quiet of the study, preparing to write thoughts of a blessing-filled day, and acknowledging God Who made this day and my desire to rejoice in it.  Selah.  Pause, praise, lift up. 

I don't need to be in any 'special' place to do that.  It doesn't need to be any special time of day.  Selah can take place anywhere, any time, and often.  I just need to be aware of 'practiciing' selah and to constantly be aware of God's gifts throughout my day.

When I taught fifth graders, I had a small ceramic box that looked like a Christmas gift.  It was a bright, shiny green with a red ribbon tied neatly around it with a bow on top.  Each year I would set out that box on my desk with a sticky note attached.  The note read, "Look for Life's little gifts".  Because I taught in a public school, I used Life for God.  To me it means the same thing.  To the public, it was 'politically correct'.  Even then, many of the students knew exactly what I meant by the term Life.  I had bright students!!

I always made a point during the year to explain The Box.  Even ten year olds can learn to become very aware of the small things in life that are a joy, are usually unexpected, and don't cost a thing.  We just have to open to all the gifts around us within reach, within sight, all day long. 

One gift I love is the impromptu gathering of family.  Just tonight, both Kris and Jo showed up to pick up Aubrey and we invited them to stay for supper.  God knows my heart as it desires having family around. Selah.

Another gift was Aubrey's belly laughs.  It is just pure joy to hear this little one get so tickled inside that she laughs with great abandon.  Her unexpected hugs, the way she sometimes cradles my cheeks with her little hands before she gives me a kiss are definitely gifts to this Grammy. Selah.

Unexpected calls from my college daughter to share 'girl news' is a great gift.  Hearing that her day's gone well is a blessing.  Selah.

Seeing a hummingbird land on the chair just outside the window and staying there long enough to be photographed was a gift.  Watching my plants bloom every summer is like seeing them for the first time.  An unusually cool summer without all the humidity is certainly a gift to one who likes the temperatures in the seventies. Selah.

Every day God is pouring out blessing after blessing.  Often we are too busy, too inwardly focused to notice that He is continually showering us with gifts.  If we'd only notice.  If we'd only be aware.  If we'd only take a moment of selah.  Pause, praise, lift up.

Yes, it would be nice to sit in that chair beside the lake.  I am sure that it would be a blessing to put my toes in the cool water and relax in the sunshine.  But I am pausing to praise God for this room, the study with its desk, computer, light, and windows. 

Aaaaaaah, and what do I hear???  One of God's little gifts to me this time of year....the sound of cicadas on a summer's night.

Selah.