Pleasures

The Beautiful Seasons of Life

Nov 12th, 2010

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Oh what a beautiful day it is. The air is still a bit cool but should warm up quite nicely. I love this kind of weather… cool, not cold at night and comfortable during the day. This is one of the reasons I love spring so much– we get the wonderful temperatures along with the added joy of seeing everything in bloom. What a lovely time of the year! I am, however, learning to appreciate fall. The rich colors are simply beautiful, especially on days like today. (I just don’t like those hazy, gray winter skies.)

I never really gave it much thought before, but lately I have come to realize that our loving Father, the Creator of all things, created beauty in each season for our enjoyment. We have the beauty of snow and ice in the winter season– a literal winter wonderland. We have nature coming to life in spring with an explosion of colorful flowers and luscious green trees. We have the flowers of summer, including all the amazing tropicals; with the added bonus of beautiful warm, sandy beaches. And in the fall, we have the brilliant display of rich and vibrant golds, oranges, and reds. Each season has its own wonder, and what wonder it is!

The same can be said for the seasons of life. We all go through different seasons… from being a young child; to being a teenager; to being an adult; to being a wife or husband; to being a mom or dad; to being a grandmother or grandfather. Each season holds its own colors, in its own stage of bloom. Each season brings forth the wonder of the One who created us. We can choose to see the beauty of our season, or we can choose not to. I choose to see.

As with nature, every season holds its own trials– some a mere whisper, some a raging storm. In nature, the larger, fuller, older trees overshadow the smaller, newer, weaker ones. The grass at their base struggles to grow in the darkness of their shade. Then a wind blows, parts the trees, and allows the light to shine down and revive the undergrowth. Nature looks to the light with outstretched hands. The trees, the flowers, the grass that covers the ground. They all long for that life-giving light.

As with nature, we too long for the life-giving light. In every season of life, the Light is always there awaiting our outstretched hands. At every turn of life, He is there– not as a spectator, but as a guide.

Just as He has created beauty in the seasons of nature, He has created beauty for us in the seasons of our lives. All we have to do is look. It is everywhere… in the innocence of childhood, in the way we love our families, in our children’s smiles… it is all around us. He is all around us– in the joyous moments, and in the tragic moments; in our victories and in our trials. He is always there.

Like the small, emerging saplings and baby blades of grass who struggle to reach out of the shadows and into the light, so do we. We struggle in the shadows of our past, in the shadows of our failures, in the shadows of the evil one’s deceptions, and in the shadows of temptation. But out of the shadow, there is light. As the flowers of the fields reach for the light, so should we. We raise our heads to the Son and remember that He is the Light in our darkness. And in every season of life, keep our eyes on Him and we will see the beauty He has created.

Nothing can survive in darkness. The trees, the flowers, the grasses– all would die if under the shadow of constant darkness. Such is life. We can’t survive in the darkness. We were created for the Light. There is nothing more rewarding than stepping out of the shadows and into the Light. There is nothing more fulfilling than feeling the warmth of the Son.

Today is such a beautiful day in this season of my life.

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Photo credits: first photo- photographer: Simon Howden; second photo- photographer: Julie A. Wenskoski; third photo- FreeDigitalPhotos.net Admin. Click on the photos to view the photographer’s portfolio. Downloaded from Free Digital Photos. These photos are free for use with photographer credit.

This is beyond frightening!

Aug 26th, 2010

by Nickie.

6 comments

Maybe you’ve already heard of this incident. Yesterday was the first time I’d heard of it. It is, honestly, beyond scary. And so very sad.

Let me say right now… you won’t see me saying anything negative against the nurse that made the terrible mistake… because it was just a terrible mistake. I have nurse friends, and I went to nursing school myself with plans to work in the field… until I found out just what kind of hours are expected of our front-line health care providers. Nurses pull very long and hard hours. Innocent, but harmful, mistakes can happen. They’re only human… and the body can only take so much. I, for one, think that nurses shouldn’t have to work such long hours, and if the employers just insist… staff should get a LONG break between so to rest, even take a nap. Every nurse I’ve ever encountered (well, except for maybe one or two who should really find a new line of work) has been amazingly wonderful. And I’m not just talking about those I personally know… I’m talking about those I have personally encountered. They are the heart of our health care system!!

Now, I will say this about the doctors in this case… shame on them!!! It is sad that their first assumption was to blame the mother; to accuse her of being a ‘user’. THAT definitely deserves an apology, and I think it should be a public apology. It wasn’t enough that the poor mother was horrified that she was losing her newborn child… they had to go and make it worse by accusing her of being the reason that child was fighting for her life! I can’t even imagine how Mrs. Blischke felt, and still feels. But what an awesome example of grace in the face of a desperate situation she is! She so easily could have gone on national television and attacked the nurse, as so many others would have done. But she didn’t. I don’t know this woman’s faith, or if she even has any; but what I saw in this news spot was a woman who exudes love, grace, dignity… and yes, Faith! What an example she sets for us all!

I think the hospital should be more than willing to pay for testing of the child to make sure there aren’t any long term affects from this horrible accident. In fact, I think they should be offering everything they can possibly offer to make sure this little girl doesn’t have problems down the road from this episode… at their expense. Personally, I think the hospital administration is more responsible than anyone in this situation… for working their medical staff so hard. The medical community should really reconsider the hours providers are required to work… maybe if they did, there’d be less stories like this.

Like to article: Newborn Medical Mix-Up: Baby Almost Died in Mom’s Arms

In an unrelated story: I previously told you of my friends Charlotte and Jim, who are going through a very hard time right now. I have an update… prayers are being answered! We received word on Tuesday that Jim has been made a ‘Trustee’ which means he not only will be serving locally, he will be able to be outside in the sunshine and fresh air (simple pleasures that so many take for granted)! This may not seem like a big deal to you, but it is, in fact, a HUGE deal. It is unheard of for someone with this type of conviction to be named a Trustee, and much less this fast. And they were told there’d be no way he’d be allowed to stay in our county’s detention center– but he is. We (church family and friends) have constantly prayed that God will keep His hands on both of them, and we’re seeing those prayers answered! We have complete faith that this innocent man will be free again; after God uses him for His purpose.

Little fingers like silly photos…

Aug 19th, 2010

by Nickie.

8 comments

My Little Man loves my camera… somewhere around here I have pictures of his thumb, his nose, very close up shots of his face, his eyes, and several close-ups of the cats. Even had a picture of the tv… it was his ‘favorite’ cartoon! He loves my cell phone camera too… I had a few shots of the coffee table and carpet on that one. Maybe he’s an aspiring photographer, or maybe he just loves to mess with Mommy’s cool stuff? Either way, it’s always cute to see what surprises he has for me on my camera. This is one he took of one of his favorite things… his school backpack (and Iron Man of course). He really LOVES that backpack.

It’s silly little things like pictures taken by a 5 year old (with a camera he knows he’s not supposed to touch but does it anyway) that I consider another of life’s simplest pleasures. The joy of our kids when they are so young and silly; and the joy of them as they grow older, into teenagers then adults. The joy of watching them, teaching them, loving them. It’s such a pleasure being a mom, and something I am forever thankful for.

Bassgiraffe's Thoughts Thursday Blog Hop

Thankful for… the Simple Pleasures

Aug 12th, 2010

by Nickie.

7 comments

This week… I have learned a valuable lesson– one of many I will learn over the course of my life I’m sure. I learned the true value of friendship.

I have a friend, not a close friend, but a friend nonetheless who is going through an excruciatingly difficult time right now. As I said, not a close friend. But… I realized this week that the closeness of this friendship doesn’t matter. I know her. We attended the same high school, and even hung out on occasion. I’ve known her for many years. I know who she is and how she is as a person– and she is a good person. She, like me, is a wife and a mother and a sister and a daughter. And she is a friend; a fiercely loyal friend.

She is struggling right now– with something I can’t understand; something most women can’t understand. She is hurting so badly and I want to comfort her, but how? The saddest thing I think I’ve ever heard or seen is someone saying “I feel like I’m dying from the inside out.” That is pain, crushing pain. I want to do more… but I don’t know what. I talk with her; I pray for her and her family; I comfort her; I hug her fiercely. And it’s maddening that I can’t do more.

I can’t tell you what it is she is going through. It’s not mine to tell. But I can ask you to please– if you believe– please pray for her and her husband (Charlotte and Jim). At this point, prayer is the only thing that’s going to help them.

This lesson– the true value of friendship– has made me stop and think about my closest friends. The friends I’ve had for so many years, since childhood, adolescence. The friends that I love so much. And it makes me think about my new friends– those who I’ve only known for a short time and those who are my church family. Sometimes we get so caught up in life that we neglect our friends. Not intentionally, of course. But it happens. And it’s understandable. But it is also something we can work on changing. Friends are so important for so many reasons. Even you, online friends– faceless and, in some cases, nameless– are important. With friendships we form a community of support around us; a soft landing for the times we stumble and fall. We form relationships with our friends; share our lives with our friends; laugh and cry with our friends.

Today, I am thankful for my friends. I am thankful that I met them; thankful that they have allowed me into their lives and call me their friend. I am thankful for one of life’s simplest pleasures… a friend.