Live!

We are such creatures of habit and comfort, and we take most things in life so for granted.  We are surrounded by wonder and miracles everyday, but we get so used to it that we hardly notice it.  We simply expect it all to still be there the next day and the next, and the next.  The truth is that it is just by the grace of the Lord, a blessing.
We get born, we grow up, we fall in love, marry, have children, grow old, and all the while we pass through life mostly oblivious.  Each one of these events come accompanied by a whole long list of invisible miracles, amazing happenings.  Maybe it is simply that we as humans are too small, too fragile to really absorb the awesomeness of life.  If we were to really experience each moment as the wonder it is, it would simply be too intense for us as mere mortals to understand.  I think it would be like standing on the edge of a high cliff  every second of our existence, watching the sunrise lighting up a vast incredibly beautiful valley below while Beethoven's 5th Symphony fills every breath of air around you.  It would be too huge for one heart to contain!
This week I had the privilege to watch my daughter at work.  She is a teacher and has a class filled with the most adorable four year olds.  To watch her and these little miracles each day, had me feeling exactly as the scene I painted in the previous paragraph.  I was filled with wonder and awe.  The moment was too big to contain, I tried to engrave it on my memory, I tried to relate it to others, but words were too inadequate.
Each little child has been so beautifully and uniquely created, and their eyes sparkled as they took part in each activity with total abandonment.  The way their teacher captured their attention using all of her love and talents, left me speechless with admiration.  A mundane activity such as counting to twenty became a symphony of its own filled with cadences, crescendos and movement, first soft, then loud, then just a whisper followed by big daddy bear voices.  Twenty wonder struck faces tell of a lesson learned never again to be forgotten!
How beautiful life is when we look at the mundane, everyday, ordinary events through eyes of wonder, with eyes that really see, instead of just glacing ahead at the next chore to be done, the next event to be rushed to, just another moment to survive.  It is time to spread out our arms and embrace every beautiful and incredible moment, and live!

If you flutter by here please feel free to comment.  Share your incredible symphony moments with us.  Just click on the words "no comments" or "1 comment " and follow the link.  I would love to hear from you.

Almost Time....

I always knew this day will come.  The beautiful butterfly that I have in the glass jar is ready to leave, to fly into the blue beyond.  I've watched it emerge from its cocoon.  I've looked on while it unfurled its wings, and gently I've helped it stretch them out.  Anxiously I have watched as slowly it tested the strength of its wings and took longer and longer trips away from its haven.
Then one day I found her sitting on the edge of the jar, wings quivering with excitement and I knew she was preparing for her final flight away from me, ready to start out a new life, a new adventure on her journey.  How I secretly wished I could screw the lid back in place, keep her with me for ever, but of course when we love something or someone, we want to share its beauty with the world, see it fly free and joyfully, see it become all it has been destined to be.  So I did not put the lid back, instead I tied a million prayers to her wings.  I put the jar out on the windowsill where it would always be visible when my butterfly passes my window and know that at any time she can return for a rest, a refill, before she once again returns to her new home.
Soon, too soon, my butterfly will take to the sky, I count the days with sadness, but with pride, for she is the most precious of butterflies and her heart has so much joy to give.  She also counts the days, with elation, the long awaited flight is near, a wonderful life awaits.
Have I equipped her with all she will need on her journey?  Have I loved her well enough?  Will the winds be gentle with her?  Only time will tell.
I place her now gently on my fingertips as they are folded in prayer and I whisper to her:  Fly, my little butterfly, my love will always be the wind beneath your wings, and my prayers are only a thought away.  It is almost time.....

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Did You Hear....?

Did you hear it?  This morning when you woke up?   The sound of it was carried on the morning breeze, the birds twittered about it.  Yes, it is true and wonderful!  Today is a brand new day, and we are alive!  All of creation is shouting it out loud!  Give praise and give thanks!  Celebrate!
When I phoned my friend with these words this morning, she asked me why?  What is so special about today?  She almost stole my joy, but then I answered her with a question: What is not special about today?  We are healthy and able, we received another totally undeserved day, we are surrounded by wonderful and special friends and family.  I have a brand new day in my hands to use, maybe to do things differently than yesterday. 
Maybe today is not totally perfect, but if we start to look for the wonderful things we have today, this present day, the imperfectness fades away.  Just for today shift your focus away from your worries, your fears about the future, your financial stress, your conflicts and anger, look at the blue sky, feel the sun on your face and rejoice in this moment, celebrate it, seize it greedily. 
Take out your special cutlery, your carefully packaged porcelain, that perfectly ironed, and seldom used tablecloth and lay a table of celebration.  There is no better time than right now!  Write your blessings down in big bold letters and post it to yourself.  What a wonderful letter to receive along with the bills when the post gets delivered next week!
Tomorrow morning when you wake up, listen carefully, you'll hear it........

If you flutter bye here I wish you blessings and joy.  Feel free to comment on how you will celebrate today. Just click on the words "no comments" or "1 comment " and follow the link.  I would love to hear from you.

Three Little Words

" I love you."  Three little words.  One short sentence.  Yet, these three words can mean so much.  They can cause untold joy, but also great misery.  Some people find it very hard to say, while others utter it for the slightest reason.
" I love you."  What does it mean?  Parents say it to their children.  The words speak of warmth, safety and security.  It says "with my whole heart, unconditionally, wonderfully."  Children say it to their parents.  The words mean "I know you are there for me,  you are my haven, my safety net".  Friends say it to each other and the words imply trust, a bond, loyalty.  Lovers say it and it conveys passion.  It means commitment, it says "You make me feel good, I like being with you, you make my heart sing ".
Three little words.  Not difficult to say, especially not nowadays, people nonchalantly say it in all sort of circumstances and places, but I can't help wondering if we really understand the meaning of those three words.  What is "love" really? This is not an easy question to answer.  The word "love" in English is used to describe many different forms - platonic love, romantic love, sexual love, religious love, etc.  When you read up about love, the concept is quite confounding, especially with our limited English vocabulary.  Yet at the bottom of it all, in its simplest form, love is not just a fleeting feeling.
Real love is not a selfish emotion.  It is not just a pat on the back and the whisper of three little words.  It is also not conditional.  Love is not merely an abstract noun, it is a verb.  Loving requires action.  It means taking an interest in the other person, caring about and for them, putting their needs first.  It means making a choice to keep on loving them no matter what, to make a commitment of continued love.  It means being there for them 24/7, not just when it is convenient for you.  It asks of us to love others, even when we feel that they do not deserve to be loved.
When we realise this, it puts a whole new perspective on those three little words.  Before I next time again say to someone in passing "I love you" I have to ask myself if I am prepared to put their needs first, to be there for them when I would rather be doing something else, to help them rather than talk about them, to walk the extra mile with them?  Suddenly it is not so easy to just say those ' insignificant ' words.  No longer can we utter them merely as a comfort to our own conscious.  We can no longer say " I love you" yet remain indifferent.  Our actions must speak of it, our eyes reflect it and our hearts be filled with it.  I leave you with a quote by Khalil Gibran: " Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit."

If you flutter by here, I wish you love.  Please feel free to comment.  Just click on the words "no comments" or "1 comment " and follow the link.  I would love to hear from you.
of it, our eyes reveal it and our hearts be filled with it.

Shhhhh......

We are surrounded by noise.  We are woken up by it in the early morning hours when our alarms go off and our bedside radio's go on automatically.  Dogs bark, children shout, parents run through the day's programme, motorists blast their horns, teenagers bob to the rhythm of the music blaring from the car radio or on their i-pods, whistles blow, computers hum, telephones ring.  You get the idea. 
Our days are filled with continuous sound.  When we return home, we immediately switch the radio or television on to fill the house with background noise.  We fear the silence.  Silence is so foreign to our existence today that it makes us feel ill at ease. We have no appreciation for silence in our lives. 
We equate silence with something that is lacking, absent from our lives.  Silence means we are alone, deprived of company.  We feel threatened by it.  We immediately need to fill the silence with sound, with noise.
Wherever people get together, they immediately begin to fill the silence in with words, with mundane chatter or ear-deafening music.  Conversations are carried on above the sound of the television playing in the background.  Strangers fear the silence that threatens to develop between questions and comments.  Even churches are continuously filled with music even during times of silent prayer, lest the silence would find a way into my thoughts.
We view our verbal abilities as a testimony of our education, we use it to convince, to rule, to impress.  Boastful people make sure that everyone else is quiet so that they can have everybody's full attention.  Very often our verbal communication is merely empty chatter, and a continuous repetition of what others have already said.  When we are quiet, silently looking on, people tend to view us with a certain amount of suspicion.  They do not understand silence, and feel insecure in its presence.  Mostly people would try to entice the quiet person into having a conversation, and if that fails, would then proceed to ignore the person as if the quiet, introspective person ceases to be of any importance.
We are so busy complying with the world's addiction to noise and sound that we have forgotten the importance of silence.  Only in the silence can we begin to truly hear again, to listen.  Our spirit, our soul is crying out to be heard.  God is trying to reach us, communicate with us.  As long as we keep up the sound pollution, we cannot begin to listen, to understand.  Silence is not just empty time, devoid of something.  Silence has presence, it is filled with an energy of its own.  Silence has substance.  Only when we are silent can we hear the spirit's guiding voice.
In the quiet our senses start to become more acute.  When we are not so busy thinking up new words to utter we start hearing better.  The tremble of insecurity in my child's voice, the silent scream of depression, the way fear is disguised in an angry voice.  We also begin to see better, to notice the hidden sadness behind a brave smile.
Maybe it is time to schedule silence into our busy lives.  To consciously spend time away from all external sound, to even switch of our internal dialogue, and just be quiet.  To breathe deep, being completely conscious.  To listen.

If you flutter by here, share with me your thoughts on silence.  Just click on the words "no comments" or "1 comment " and follow the link.  I would love to hear from you.

Today is a Good Day......

Today is a beautiful spring day.  The air is crisp and clean, with just a gentle breeze flipping through my hair.  A new day, full of promise and expectations. 
I opened the door to savour the beauty of the morning, when the next moment our two excited Spaniels stormed in, leaving a trail of muddy footprints all over my freshly washed tile floor!  Their happiness clearly written in the muddy zigzag pattern.  They love this beautiful day too!
Looking at the happy mesh on the floor, I asked myself a question, that I now put to you.  What will my footprints say about my walk today?  Will it be a reflection of my talk?  Everyday, no matter how carefully we tread we leave footprints behind, we leave a calling card in the hearts of everyone we encounter throughout our day.  Where will my footprints lead those who follow them?  Will they lead my children to waters of rest, guide people to see the sunny side of life, show the lost the way to the Lord?  Will I leave footprints with long strides that tell of joy and purpose, or will they be the shuffle steps of negativity, the heavy tread of despair?
Everyday is a beautiful gift, another day to celebrate, another opportunity to dance.  Grab this day, this moment with both hands.  Look at the butterflies, how they rejoice in the new season, their lives a short moment, a little comma in life's essay, but they flutter here, there, everywhere with zest. 
When you look back at your life, let it be full of dancing footprints, in a mad and messy zigzag pattern that shout out to all that you lived every moment like a butterfly.  Yes, indeed, today is a good day to be a butterfly!

If you flutter by here, I wish you joy and blessings.  Please feel free to comment.  Just click on the words "no comments" or "1 comment " and follow the link.  I would love to hear from you.

Take a breath....

We all know those days.  Those days when nothing seems to go right.  Days when every day's toils and struggles become too much. When we feel we want to scream at the conductor to stop this crazy train we are on so that we can get off.  We rush along with the world on an out of control roller coaster from meeting to meeting, chore to chore, duty to duty.  It is on days like these that we want to ask the question "Is this all there is?"  We feel caught and strangled up in the barbed wire of life.  Without wings.  Weary beyond believe.  What is the purpose of it all?
When life feels as if it is spinning you around at a whirlwind pace, it is time to take a moment and be still.  The roller coaster ride will continue whether you are on it or not, life will not disintegrate without you, but if you do not take a moment for yourself you might fall apart.  So take a few deep breaths, reconnect with yourself, with God. 
From the moment the butterfly emerges from its cocoon, it is a wonder, a miracle, a thing of beauty.  Its very existence is a testimony of its Creator, its purpose is to pollinate.  In the same way we are also, each and everyone of us, a wonder, a miracle, a thing of beauty.  Our purpose: to be a testimony of our Creator, to share the Gospel on our journey through life.
When we focus on the things around us, the dirty dishes, the bills, the meetings and dozens of other chores, we tend to take our eyes off God, but if we see in everything another opportunity to glorify God, we become like the butterfly, merrily flying along, enjoying every glorious moment of life.
When 'one of those days' happens again, take a deep breath, change your focus and fly......

If you flutter by here please comment.  To comment click on the words "no comments" or "1 comment " and follow the link.  I would love to hear from you.

Happy Birthday

Today would have been my dad's birthday.  All of my life I have associated his birthday with the arrival of Spring.  He was a Spring Time person.  Full of fun, funny stories and jokes.  Always ready with a tease or a practical joke.  He was and always will be my hero.
The thing that stands out above all else was the way he loved his family.  He cherished each one of us in a special way.  He was fiercely protective of us.  Even though I was a girl I wanted to be just like him, and every man in my life has been measured against him.  He always made me feel safe, nothing could touch me as long as he was near.  His wisdom is woven into every fibre of who I am today.  The way I love and discipline my children is directly influenced by him.
My dad was never a push-over, yet I never heard him utter foul language.  He was a jester, yet had respect wherever he went.  To me he was perfect, and my mother never said anything that would make us doubt his perfectness.  He faced friends and enemies with the same straightforward, steadfast look in his eyes.  At times I was sure the devil shivered in his socks.
He was a rebel and a gentleman.  Where my dad was there was always laughter.  His blue eyes bright with mischief, yet sometimes I remember catching him with a far off expression in his eyes.  He was strong, a man's man, yet he was a snappy dresser.  He had Irish charm and was a ladies' man, but the way he looked at my mother made it plain to everyone that my mom was his only love.
Age and illness drew a mellow blanket around him, but he was still my dad, invincible and stubborn.  If I have one wish, it would be to sit on his lap one last time, and say thank you for being my dad. 

If you flutter by here please feel free to share a memory of your dad with us. To comment click on the words "no comments" or "1 comment " and follow the link.  I would love to hear from you.

Little Things

Yesterday one of our youngest students arrived at class, sat down and gave a big sigh.  I asked her what that heavy sigh was all about and she answered that time was just rushing by too fast.  Yes.  This is the mantra of our lives in this hectic century! 
Everything happens at the speed of light.  Our days are crammed with everything that we have to do and it has to happen now.  Our lives are filled with big important things always demanding the highest priority.  We blink and years have passed, our children's chubby faces have made place for the serious faces of adulthood, dreams we have had made way for more pressing issues.  The sparrows have come and gone and come again and we never even noticed their arrival.  Little things, seemingly too insignificant, have passed us by.
It is so sad that we have come to measure our lives only by big events, important dates and major goals, forgetting that the times in between are just as important, they are the links that join the bigger moments, they are the material in between the bold patterns.
We have to start taking note of the little things that surround us, that colour our days, that unfold around us.  The silence of early morning,  the warmth of the bed where my husband lay just moments before, birds calling the sun to wake up.  The way my child's eyelashes curl on her cheeks, traces of her baby face still visible when she sleeps.  The smiles I receive from the people next to the road as they walk to work, the sms from a friend to say she thinks of me too.  The way the sun falls into the room where I have my first cup of coffee for the day.
Life is filled with wonderful little things that give meaning to our existence.  Insignificant when viewed against major events, but when I look at the bigger picture, everything fades into obscurity when compared to the times when my children would cuddle against me as we watched TV, when my husband would look at me and I see his love for me so clearly in his eyes, the laughter and funny moments we share as a family, the way my sister's laughter tinkles like bells in my ears, my brother's serious voice when he imparts some advice, the way his eyes crinkles just like my father's did, my mother's comfort, my father's words of wisdom, our long talks and visits around the kitchen table.  Christmas gatherings, the gifts are long forgotten, but the memories of the times spent together lingers long after.
These little things are all the major events of my life, the moments that truly matter.  Without them we would be so much poorer.  Life would indeed just be a senseless blurr, a useless chasing after wind.  Thank God today for every little thing in your live and rejoice!

If you flutter by here please tell me what little things you treasure in your life.  To comment click on the words "no comments" or "1 comment " and follow the link.  I would love to hear from you.