moving forward

Today is sometime since I have written...not that there are not many words in my heart to put here...it is just hard to do somedays. It is like the handle on the pump to get them flowing is stuck--needs greased.
I am trying to move forward. Today is a good day, but to tell the truth...it was just a week ago I thought about being committed...so just will not put all my eggs in one basket yet....

loss....grief....emptiness....aloneness, loss of dreams, loss of the future you thought was coming. New players, new people, new names, new journeys...it is amazing and also is so beyond your ability to process when tired.

I have learned to be very careful not to do too much on one day. To conserve, to take care. I am not able to be all I was...maybe I wasn't to be anymore anyway. It is hard to say as where I was and who I was is never to be again either. It is new-a new land. Someone prayed over me about 6 months ago and said the painting of my life up to that moment was done. The canvas was lifted off the frame and was now sitting on the floor---completed. Not one more brush of the paint to alter it would ever happen again. But Jesus had lifted a brand new canvas and set it on the easel...and he held in his hands a palatte full of paints--waiting to start this new painting--he was excited and intent...and I would see it beginning.

i have seen the strokes of His brush and felt the colors coming on me. i have felt the closeness of His gaze on me-intent on what and where He would be creating. He is not randomly brushing here and there--but it is deliberate. I feel His presence...I feel His touch. Sometimes I see His tears as He knows the colors are hard at times for me to embrace...the colors of sorrow...but I see the colors on the pallate and they tell me Joy will be coming and becoming part of what He is making of me in this new land. I trust you Father...you are good to me, kind to me. I am learning much in this new land. Help me stay the course, catch the wind, set my rudder to hold fast. I do not want to miss this journey...

hard week

This was sent to me by Michell today--and she was a dear, dear friend of Sarah's. Just one of the many who miss her daily. We have met-many of us--and connected this last weekend to remember Sarah and her impact on our lives.

It was a very hard week for me after this weekend of remembering her. Just get to this place of such despair and deep sorrow. I got many emails from people who read the article and also so many hugs...and am so blessed...but in the midst...there is this place that became so raw again--aching--aching...so hard.

I am better today-thought I should write all week...but didn't...but the place I was and can still see just off to the side of me---is so wordless...no way to describe it...just can't believe it, can't wrap my little frail hands around it. I want to scream out loud---THIS CAN NOT BE TRUE.

ugh...that becomes one of my favorite words....ugh...a groan that is so deep....a language of only deep grief...

In that place, only God can come---and help. I laid in His strong hand often this week...with tears coming from all parts of me---it felt like my body cried....not just my eyes...like every part of me missed her. This writing is good--enjoy!

October 3, 2008Fresh and UnfixedThere Is Only Now
It can be easy for us to walk through the world and our lives without really being present. While dwelling on the past and living for the future are common pastimes, it is physically impossible to live anywhere but the present moment. We cannot step out our front door and take a left turn to May of last year, any more than we can take a right turn to December 2010. Nevertheless, we can easily miss the future we are waiting for as it becomes the now we are too busy to pay attention to. We then spend the rest of our time playing “catch up” to the moment that we just let pass by. During moments like these, it is important to remember that there is only Now. In order to feel more at home in the present moment, it is important to try to stay aware, open, and receptive. Being in the present moment requires our full attention so that we are fully awake to experience it. When we are fully present, our minds do not wander. We are focused on what is going on right now, rather than thinking about what just happened or worrying about what is going to happen next. Being present lets us experience each moment in our lives in a way that cannot be fully lived through memory or fantasy. When we begin to corral our attention into the present moment, it can be almost overwhelming to be here. There is a state of stillness that has to happen that can take some getting used to, and the mind chatter that so often gets us into our heads and out of the present moment doesn’t have as much to do. We may feel a lack of control because we aren’t busy planning our next move, assessing our current situation, or anticipating the future. Instead, being present requires that we be flexible, creative, attentive, and spontaneous. Each present moment is completely new, and nothing like it has happened or will ever happen again. As you move through your day, remember to stay present in each moment. In doing so, you will live your life without having to wait for the future or yearn for the past. Life happens to us when we happen to life in the Now.