Because of Grace we Press On
Jane Anderson When I was in 8th grade my dad caved in to my mom’s insistence that we have a piano. Not a castoff or old upright, but brand new Kimball console. You might not think that’s strange, but as I watched the men from our church unload the monstrosity from the truck, I was as mystified as any 13 year old girl could be. As soon as it was settled in the living room I had to ask. “Who’s going to play it?” You have to understand that we lived in …
‘When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.’ This is what friends do.
If you wonder, “What should I do today? How should I fill my active time?” Start here: Guard what you allow to get into your heart. Just be kind. Think before you act. Think before you speak.
Do you ever feel invisible? Think about it. Here’s what I mean by that. It isn’t that you want to be on display, receive applause, or even be the center of attention, but maybe simply to be noticed. We all go through times when we want someone, we care about, to notice us. Maybe we don’t even recognize it as a need, but we are created for relationship – and being noticed is the first step. At least it seems like a first step to relationship is becoming visible by …
Just wondering . . . have you ever had a day when everything went right? Me either. That’s for ‘other’. Well, I take that back. Sometimes I am one of the ‘other’ people. I’ve had a lot of days when everything seemed to be OK and then there are those other days. Those days seemed upside down until I remembered that there were threads I couldn’t see, weaving together the circumstances of the day stuck in the irritation cycle – you know like when the thread and bobbin don’t agree …
Don’t give up! Have you ever listened to someone’s story and heard these words, “Fine for you to say, but you don’t know what I’m going through here.” When we listen at heart level, we become aware of problems people are going through and they are traveling the path right beside you. We can relate to being thrown into the spin cycle of problems that never dry out. How many times have you thought, “If I had a towel, I’d throw it in?” There are many reasons not to throw …
Do you ever worry? This morning, I told a friend, “I’m feeling anxious and I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s worry for some reason. I’m not sure.” I recognize the signs because I’ve been here before. Maybe you have too. I know what happens when worry is allowed to fester. So, in case you ‘re wrangling with worry too, let’s dissolve it together, before it has a chance to rob you of your hope and potential of this day and maybe tomorrow. If today is one of those days entered …
For each day in the month of October I will post a short essay based on a prompt, suggested by Kate Motaung. Kate is the founder of Five Minute Friday, an online community of writers who support each other as they engage in sharpening their craft. As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. – Proverbs 27:17 While this 31-days is only for the month of October, but if this sounds interesting and beneficial to you, head on over to the Five Minute Friday website and check out what’s …
Just wondering. Do you remember Miss Minnie Pearl? I think my first recollection of her was back in the radio days of listening to the Grand Ole Opry but if that’s not it, I remember her from the television program Hee Haw. She wore plain house dresses, sensible tie-up shoes, and a straw hat with its price tag hanging off to one side. She was an audacious comedian who could turn an ordinary situation into side-splitting laughter. I remember Miss Minnie standing next to someone the audience couldn’t see as …
I’ve always been fascinated by kaleidoscopes. When I was a little girl my grandma had one in the toy box. I still remember it was made out of a cardboard tube with a tin top and hazy plastic bottom. Not much to look at, but out of all the toys in the box, it was my favorite. Back then, I didn’t know how a kaleidoscope worked; I just knew that it transformed gray shadows into magical, designs when I looked toward the light. A few years ago, at the annual …