Search Results for: the pier

Revealed in Time

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It has been raining this week for what seems like forever. I’m sure it was only two days, but here’s what my pond and pier look like.

cock

Where are the steps?

Earlier today I was comparing this to God’s goodness. How He just loves to overflow in our lives. Later in the day what began as overflow, turned into drowning. Was it all God?

I don’t believe God wants to ‘drown’ us. We wouldn’t be worth much to Him in that capacity. He wants us to be pliable, while observing the occurrences of the day. What was good, and what was not so good. Sometimes we have to face the challenges and responsibilities of life to get to the goodness.

If I do my part and do the very best I can, God meets me there. If life hits too hard and fast, I’m learning to wait. God has taken so many problems out of my life just by waiting on Him. By continuing to give it to God, to lay it at His feet, He will take either take it, because it was a test of my faith, or use it to strengthen me.

The picture of the flooded pond is a great example of faith. Even though I cannot see the steps leading to the pier, I know they’re there. They will be revealed in time.

A Better Way To Live~Day 3

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Sitting at my desk looking out the window at the pier, thinking…”It looks cold out there.” I remember standing on that pier over a year ago, in the cold, crying and begging God to help me. To wrap His loving arms around me and just hold me. That was last fall, and this is a new one. Thank God for new seasons.

Today’s suggestion for A Better Way to Live is a good one. It breaks my heart to see people looking behind them. Our Creator put our eyes in front for a reason!

Whenever you make a mistake or get knocked down by life, don’t look back at it too long. Mistakes are life’s way of teaching you. Your capacity for occasional blunders is inseparable from your capacity to reach your goals. No one wins them all, and your failures, when they happen, are just part of your growth. Shake off your blunders. How will you know your limits without an occasional failure? Never quit, your turn will come.

 

This is a highly motivational piece of advice. It would be easy to give you a big rah-rah speech on brushing yourself off and trying again. Life is not easy, but there is one thing I know. God has a plan for me. That is all I need to know. He has a plan, and it is for my good.

Yes, I can make wrong choices, but even then He promises to turn them around for good. Sometimes choices place me in painful situations, but that is where growth happens. When I’m in pain, worry and fear, God is there watching and waiting to see my next move. This is where I’ve learned to hit my knees, or stand before Him and seek HIS plan, not mine. You might recall, my best laid plans got me a lifetime membership to AA.

definesus

I encourage you today to shake off what life is throwing at you and begin again! Every moment is new, and we only have the exact moment that’s in front of us. The past is gone, and the future is not here yet. The choices we make right now, are what paves the path to the life we want to achieve. Make it beautiful.

 

Quote is from, “A Better Way to Live”, by Og Mandino

This Life

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I strolled down to the pier early this morning to fellowship with God. This is the one place I can go and feel His presence. A cool, gentle breeze was whipping around the pajama pants I still had on. The pond was alive with activity from fish and various creatures, but at the same time it was peaceful.

Scrolling through my playlist, I chose, This Life by The Afters.

“We can’t own it
We just get to hold it for a while.
This Life.
We can’t keep it
Or save it for another time.
This Life.”

This has been a somber week for me. One of those weeks my daughter would say, “You need to go back and read some of your Blogs.” Practice what I preach sorta thing. I feel like God is getting ready to move in my life. You know that, ‘Calm before the storm’ feeling? Everything He’s done up to this point is preparing me for what’s next. He has made me stronger than I need to be for some reason. This allows me to look back at the choices I made this week, and how they will impact my life.

I believe our actions speak louder than words. Sometimes no action, or dead silence screams at us louder than words. My actions this week has caused some to feel hurt, anger, disappointment, confusion, joy, happiness and love. Mama always said, “Be true to yourself”, and I cannot control how my actions are received.

I posted this quote on my Facebook page, and it caused quite a stir. “The one who makes you the happiest is usually the same person who is capable of causing you the most pain and stress.” I love how it uses the word, ‘capable’. Just because they are capable, doesn’t mean it’s ‘allowed’.

We all need encouragement! A friend gave me a bucket of refreshment this morning. She asked if that was my daughter she saw me with the other day. I told her, ‘Yes’, and she said, “She’s beautiful”! I responded, “Yes, she’s a sweetheart.” She then replied, “That’s because you’re her mother.” Those five words made me very grateful for this life.

Hey….Watch This!

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I live in the country, so the title of this post is a rather popular saying by guys around here. It usually precedes a physical act that can lead to an emergency room visit shortly thereafter. As I sit at my desk this morning typing this, I gaze out the window and see my kind of, “Hey…Watch this!” The foliage has grown rather tall around the pond, and it’s earth tone colors made this easy to miss. Looking carefully…I see Stork!

frog

If you’re not familiar with Stork, go back and read, “Just Breathe” for an introduction. There are two that visit our pond, and this morning, it’s the Great Blue Heron. It’s rare to see him, and you have to look closely to spot him during his visit.

He stands majestically in the water, and moves with graceful intention. I go out onto the porch and sit on the stoop to take in a closer look. He takes three long strides, lowering his head toward the water. He plunges his beak below the water level, and pulls back with a fish. As I’m typing this, he has done this three times that I’ve seen.

He is in the present moment. He is aware of his surroundings, but focused on what’s in front of him. Breakfast.

now

There are distractions. Birds are flying all around, and half a dozen or so are having a party on the pier. A truck rides by on the road above, but it doesn’t distract him. He walks away from the road, finds a quieter spot, and retrieves another fish.

Are you enjoying the present moments of your life? I am guilty of not paying attention to what’s important at that moment. Sometimes I’m too focused on what’s at hand, and I miss what just happened beside me. My daughter trying to tell me what just happened in her day. I’m practicing reverting my attention from work, to focusing on her and listening to what’s she’s trying to share. This is her present moment, and we won’t get it back. If I miss too many of these, she will be less likely to invite me in.

presentmoment

I encourage you to pay attention to what’s around you, and what’s in front of you. A fabulous book to help guide is, “The Miracle of Mindfulness” by Thich Nhat Hanh. This book is beautifully written and pure joy to read. Look around and ‘see’ what’s important. What is happening that wasn’t happening a moment ago?

The vacuum is going to sit until plugged in and used. My world is still and quiet at the moment, but that will change as soon as my daughter wakes up and the cat and dog are set free from their sleeping quarters.

Stork has moved on for the day. I enjoyed catching glimpses of his present moment experience. The fish could learn a lot from Stork, and so could we.

Beauty and Grace

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Image

As I was standing on the pier this morning, I spotted the largest duck I’d ever seen on the far end of the pond. At first, I wondered if it was a black swan because of it’s size. It would dive under the water, swim a distance, and come up with a fish in its beak. I asked God to bring it close enough so I could get a good look at it, and a pic. That instant…it popped up right beside the pier so close to me, that I was able to snap the one above.  I just watched in awe of the duck, and how quickly and simply God can give us what we ask.
I watched it dive under water, and make its way toward the far end of the pond again. Then it raised up into the air and flew at a low-level. It’s wings were wet, so it was going to take some time to reach altitude. He flew right toward me, adjusted his speed and flew right over my head! He started circling the pond, drying his wings and with each lap gaining altitude. Each lap, I was able to stand with my face pointed toward the sky, opening my eyes at just the right moment to capture his beauty and grace.
I went to the pier, like a lot of mornings, to praise and worship God, and to talk with Him about what was on my mind. With my coaching business, I had thought that I was taking a huge step of faith out of the boat. To walk on the water, no matter how rough it got because He would be there. Today He showed me to dive under the water and go deeper. If I started to feel weighed down, shake the excess off until I could fly.
To be a good Coach, I must first be the student.

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