Autumn's Arrival

The air smelled different this morning. I got out of bed and noticed immediately. Then I remembered that some chilly air moved into town overnight. I rushed to my door and opened it to get my first taste of Autumn air. It was glorious. Full of scents of leaves and freshness. It was 57 degrees, dry, and the breeze shuffled the surprised leaves that had grown so accustomed to the Summer heat.

Now, the sounds of birds and the wind shuffling through the branches is what fills my space. It's absolutely lovely. When the first feeling of Autumn arrives I remember the blessing of God in the different seasons. I am so thankful. It is this kind of weather that energizes my mind and body. My mind becomes all aflutter with words and poetry. And I am eager to get outside to enjoy it.

I am in love with the beauty that God grants us; the way he brings forth such Autumn scents and earth tones that stir my feelings.

I cannot help it. I was made so that these things would wrap my heart in a blanket of lovely and warm thoughts and fluttery feelings. These are the kinds of days that stir my imagination and remind me of the bounty of God's blessings.

Sweet Pumpkin Sunday

Past upon past has been planted in you,
in order out of you, like a garden, to rise.

- Rainer Rilke

I could not resist posting these photos today, which really was a sweet pumpkin Sunday. The weather all day has been glorious. The kind of weather that you wake up to and notice that something is very different. The air is clear and chilled. The sky is perfectly painted the shade of baby blue with no glimmer of wispy clouds anywhere.

After church we walked down to the church pumpkin patch by the lake, where it was fun to watch Elliott walk around and point to that pumpkin, and then point to that one, and then try to pick up a different pumpkin. It was darling. We all picked out a pumpkin to take home. Happy Autumn! 

How Vast Are Your Thoughts

How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.

- Psalm 139.17-18

To stop and pray in the midst of a normal day is not the easiest thing, but is it ever easy, even if we somehow have hours in the multitudes? We always seems to find something to take us away from focusing on prayer. The work on my desk and the tasks demanding my attention seem so important throughout the hours of the workday, but really, Lord, You are above it all.
Above the work, above the errands I need to run, above the chores I need to do.
You are above it all. And that includes my thoughts.
You are higher than my thoughts and I am standing in wonderment at the vast amount of thoughts You have.

I am so singular, Lord, but You are not stuck in time or singular place. You are everywhere and in everything all at once.

Your ever-presence is a comfort to me. A comfort that also fills my soul with the wonder and mystery that is You, God. To imagine something far higher and grander than myself, I am naturally drawn into the depths of wonder.

Thank you for the mystery of Your love, presence, plans, and gifts of every rising sun.

World Travelling

Always do I dream about travelling. If you know me at all you know how I day dream about it. It's always on my mind. I frequently find myself planning, dreaming, or talking about my next trip, wherever it may be.

My boss and his wife are currently across the ocean in Europe, on a grand vacation travelling around a few different countries. I am back here holding down the office. I am so happy for them and so envious that I cannot be there, too. They sent me photos and it's all so dreamy. In my mind I imagine so many sorts of splendid sights and I am afraid I will be very eager to hear all the details about their days, and see more photos once they get back. I want to know about the cafes, the transportation, the weather, the people, the architecture, and favourite things.

Travel is a wonderful thing, I think, because it takes us out of our comfort zones and shows us what we have not seen. It throws us into another world where languages or accents are different, and the way of life differs in some way. Or even it is a place we have been before, it causes us to look again, and see from a new perspective perhaps. It causes us to dwell for a short time in another culture, another city, another way of living. I love to see the everyday scenes that are apart from the tourist spots. I love to be there as if I were a local.

I have much more world travelling to do. I really haven't done that much in the grand scope of our world. Even in my home country. There is much more to be seen. I shall see some more of this big country this month. It is going to be a busy month. Stay tuned!

Pale, Sandy Shoreline

The air was salty and the breeze welcomed. Before the air grew too far into the heat range that warrants an immediate shower, we ventured onto the pale, sandy shoreline of Venice Beach. The air was more wavy than the waters that morning. A calm sense filled the space between the tall waving sea oats and the gentle lapping morning waves meeting the shore.

When you stand on the shoreline, sometimes you forget the rest of the land that sits behind and beyond. All that lies before you are endless seas that rise and fall with the moon each day.

A powerlessness sweeps over you, but at the same time you cannot help but feel part of the nature that you get to dwell in. With sand getting into your flats and between your toes you are like the grains of sand- small and a tiny part of something much larger.

You are with the land, the sea, and the air. Other distractions are beyond your reach, if only for a little while.

Hearing and Doing

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

- Matthew 7.24

A morning prayer of stillness and quiet thankfulness for all that I am and all that I have, Lord. Help me seek always in hearing Your words in my head and heart and do Your words in my everyday actions. Let the love that dwells in my heart be real and personal. Part of my every moment.

By hearing and doing, let Your will be done through me. Make me an instrument of Your purpose, and help me feel full and satisfied with what I have been given, with overflowing joy of Your love in my heart. May I always keep a constant acknowledgement of Your presence.

Sometimes I cannot see clearly through my own wretchedness and pit of despair, Lord, but it is my own doing, so guide me back to the ever-present light. Let my life be led by this thought of G.K. Chesterton:

Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair.

Let me live, Lord, as if I cannot stop thinking about You. I seek to define the adventure of life as a travel experience with Your love along every step. Help me see Your fingerprint on every moment and set my sights on You and not the world.

Venice Charms

My hometown has many charms to offer. Since I haven't been a resident of Venice for about nine years, each time I go back to visit I like to be a tourist. That means going downtown, browsing an antique store, finding a local coffee shop where everybody knows everybody. To stop at the beach and taste the salty air on an early morning before it gets too hot.

As we drive to the beach, my head glances over to the tree that was planted in my Dad's honour by friends of the family, which is a little oak tree growing taller and fuller each day. It sits about two blocks from Venice Beach. It reminds us how Dad was like a mighty oak tree, himself. He was a lover of nature and trees.

Watching my little niece play and squeal with delight in the Gulf waters you cannot help but smile at the innocent wonderment that she holds. I love watching her with curiosity in her eyes, and the joyful abandon she has.

While I love to be at my home relaxing, it is nice to get out of town and slow down to a different beat of family. No chores beckon to me while I am away. And I listen to the gentle waves with new appreciation. As if on vacation.

At The Week's End

The week is almost over and you've made it through with only a few falters and annoyances, but we are all human, right? The sun shone on some days, and rain fell on the other days, but no feeling of Autumn has yet arrived. In your heart you ache for the change of seasons, especially when you see other areas drop in temperature. But you wait patiently.

You were challenged this week but you took time to give it a little thought and you made the right decision. You accomplished something, even if it felt like you didn't. Whatever task was set before you this week, there is new wisdom in your soul gained from it.

Take a minute to give thanks to our Creator. He is the One who made this week possible. He is the One who gave you the breath in your lungs and the ability to see the world with wide open eyes. The childlike faith of wonderment in the everyday brings new light to something seemingly mundane.

Five Years

What can happen in five years?
So many things. So much growth of wisdom and maturity. Dynamic experiences and important people added to life. And the memories of one so dear, who was lost.

I feel like I mark the point in my life when I lost my Dad, as the point where many changes began to take place in my heart and mind. Perhaps it is a conglomerate of losing a parent and also growing up. Something like deep loss does cause one to grow up very quickly. It forces one to think about death and the inevitability of it.

Some of us do not remember dates or anniversaries. Even for loved ones, remembering a birthday is a challenge. I am not one of those people. For some reason, I remember birthdays, dates, and anniversaries. I don't know why. Perhaps my detail-oriented self picks up on that. And perhaps I get that from my Dad because he always remembered those tiny details.

Five years ago today I lost my Dad. My Mom lost her husband. My brothers lost their Dad. My Aunt lost her brother. The world lost a truly good man. I felt completely unprepared for handling such a tragedy of losing a parent. I had absolutely no idea I could feel such intense sadness. But there it came, rushing like a swift river with such a strong current there was no way to go back. There was only one way to go. Through it. Through the mourning and the sadness.

People ask if it gets easier with time. It is not about getting easier, but about getting through the mourning that is important. Opening ourselves up to God in a time of grief is how one gets through the tunnel of darkness. That is how one moves forward.

And that is what I have done over these five years. My heart has grown, my wisdom, my eagerness to learn and continue to. I've become a much better person, more caring, more open, and more willing to take on challenges, and I wish my Dad were here to see it. That is a selfish thing to say because he is in a far better place than this. But because his character was of the highest quality, I aim for that high mark. My memories of him are filled with reminders that he did everything in love. For example, he picked out a car for me when I was in high school. A 1991 BMW 525i. It took me awhile to realize that the attention he gave to making sure my car had enough oil, fluids, and air in my tires was his way of showing love. And the countless times that he and I would wash my car on the driveway were moments that he and I could talk about what was going on in our lives.

I probably say this every year, but keep telling stories. Keep the memories alive. I will always be glad to talk about my Dad. Many times the stories will involve funny things he would say or ways he would say things. For he loved to tell stories.

Glorious Times Ahead

The created world itself can hardly wait for what's coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens.

-Romans 8.19-21

All of creation waits for the glorious times ahead. In anticipation, we all wait on the edge of our seats. All of creation. That means the trees and the sky. The animals. The river. The city. You and me. The created world is almost bursting it can hardly wait. New creation is just over the hill there. It is beyond what we can see.

Several paragraphs in Romans 8 create so much wonder in my soul in the way the best stories do. Tiny glimpses of a creation waiting to be redeemed. Waiting in the story becomes our own real waiting because we are in the Story. We are creation. It is not a tale from a book, and yet it is.

We can sit in wonder and have souls filled with wonder and then read passages in Romans or books that capture new creation and the vision of it so beautifully. It requires a lot of imagination, which might be why it is difficult for many to think about. I think in my mind about the vision in The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis or in Lilith by George MacDonald. These are the most breathtaking of visions, which captures my imagination and creative soul, and yet they both fall short off what it will truly be. It will be familiar, but far better than we know.

No words we have can convey such perfected beauty of creation that will come. We can scarcely imagine. This should be exciting to us and create that joyful anticipation deep in our hearts.

(I took this photo at the Tynemouth Castle and Priory Ruins, Tynemouth, England. A breathtaking place of history and beauty on a cliff overlooking the North Sea)