Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is upon us again, and visions of pilgrims and natives and turkeys dance through my head. I suppose it all started with a simple, undeserved act of kindness, extended across cultural bounds, that proved to be life-saving and life-changing. With that in mind I offer up my thanks to the Giver of every good and perfect gift:

for the seasons that remind me that everything has its time,
for the little yellow and orange leaves that crunch beneath my feet,
for your Word that speaks your love to me,
for your people whose lives have pointed me to you,
for my precious children who teach me so much about myself even as I try to teach them,
for my failures as a mother that cause me to marvel at your perfection as a Father,
for my loving husband who makes me smile,
for beautiful music that stirs the soul,
for the vast sky that reminds me I am small,
for family and friends who surround us with love,
for children's giggles and bear hugs,
for furry wiggles and wagging tails,
for blessings numbered like the stars,
for freedom,
for love,
for life.

Yes, it all started with that undeserved act of kindness, extended across cultural bounds, that proved to be life-saving and life-changing... Thank you for the cross.

Lessons From a Corn Maze

If I had my own corn maze, I'd call it The Amazing Maize Maze. Really, I can't believe I've never seen a corn maze with that name. There must be one somewhere.

I went to a corn maze twice last week, having never been to one before, and it was interesting. Looking at the map, it seems like a lot of fun. The paths are cleverly arranged to make a picture. You get to walk around through corn, which just doesn't happen every day. And the days I went to the maze were beautiful and sunny, with cheerful skies. What's not to like?

But, the whole point of a maze is to try to find your way out, which necessarily implies that there are lots of ways that do not lead out. And I happen to have some issues with getting lost. I don't like it. Not even the thought of it, really. But if my kids were up for the maze, then I was, too.

As we went through the maze (happily following a guide, which I think is kind of like cheating), we passed through an intersection and my son asked why we didn't take a different route. I explained that not all the paths lead back out. He asked why not. I asked him how much fun it would be to do a maze if we knew every path would lead out, so there was no way to "lose." He thought about it, and answered that it wouldn't be any fun.

Exactly. It's a paradox: without the chance of losing, winning is meaningless. Why even bother unless you just like walking around in the corn (which, in itself, is interesting for a certain amount of time)?

Another thing about the maze is that there are lots of paths people can choose to follow. But not all of them will take you where you aim to go, no matter how sincere you may be. Some of them are simply dead ends. And so it is in life, on so many levels.

Life is truly amazeing! (Yeah, that was bad, but I just couldn't resist!)