The Unfriending... Letting Go

Today I unfriended someone on Facebook. It was a first for me, and I thought about it for days before clicking it into reality.

I'm not one to burn bridges easily, and I hate to lose people. But this was not a real bridge burning as I could find no bridge remaining to connect us. This friend had become a ghost to me, a shadow of a ghost really, where there had once been a dear friend.

I hoped for a long time to see even a glimmer of the friend I once had. The one I trusted, in some ways, more than myself. The one with the strangely similar sense of humor and interests. We had our own lingo, and sometimes completed each other's sentences. That's the joy of best friends.

But people change. Life happens, and choices are made. For a long time I chose to hope. She chose to be silent. So today I clicked her into an Unfriend, but the irony is that nothing really changed with that click. She had been an Unfriend for a long time already. Now I just won't see her vacation pictures.

Sometimes Cats

When I look just beyond my computer screen, I see tiny holes in my curtains. The curtains have hung in that window since we moved into our house several years ago, but these holes are new. They are the evidence of our cat. Our newest cat.

Jon and I had no plans to get a cat of any kind. At least not any time soon. Three kids, two dogs, four hermit crabs, and we were good. We like cats, but why add more trouble to the mix?

Good, solid reasoning, and yet, here we are. In the span of four months, two cats claimed us as their own, and changed our lives. We have put up and taken down baby gates in multiple areas of the house, rearranged the bathroom, temporarily lived with our garage door open, and inconvenienced ourselves and our dogs.

Not to mention the new chores we've added to our life: giving the cats food and water, cleaning out the litter boxes, and making time to play with our feline friends. All this for two homeless cats who decided to camp out at our place, and wouldn't leave.

Maybe we're too soft. We could have sent them to Animal Control and wished them well. Maybe we're too compassionate, concerned about what might happen to them in the midst of so many other unwanted cats. Maybe it's simply a God thing. A surprise in our life, perhaps unplanned and unwanted, that turns out as a blessing with a purpose.

Our first cat was Twinkle. In my mind I call her Grace. She was a scraggly, wary little cat who sneaked into our garage in search of a safe refuge. A skinny ragamuffin looking for mercy, she had little to offer. Yet we reached out to her in kindness, cared for her, and took her in. We showed her grace, as God does us.

Our second cat was Brownie. In my mind her name is Faith. She made her debut on our rooftop, and soon adopted our front yard as her home. Friendly and fun, she easily won us over with her feline charm. She was our "outdoor cat" for three weeks.

And then she disappeared. Gone for two days, which was not like her at all. We worried and searched. On the second day, not knowing what might have happened to the little brown cat, this popped into my head: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."

Instead of sorrow and hopelessness, I deliberately trusted for the best outcome. I exercised faith, and that afternoon, amazingly, we were reunited with the cat. She had walked into a woman's house several streets away, and the kind woman posted about her on Craigslist in hopes of returning her to her home.

So we have holes in our curtains and two cats, furry reminders of grace and faith. Funny how God likes to use tangible things in our lives to remind us of the spiritual. Like water. And bread and wine. And sometimes cats.

Ode to the New Season

I love the changing of seasons. The newness, the freshness of it. It inspires me to make my own changes, and gives me a fresh perspective. My favorite season is whichever one is new, although I do prefer Spring and Fall a bit.

The past couple days have been refreshingly cool here in South Georgia. This morning I walked the kids to school, as I have been trying to do a lot this school year, and the world was simply glorious. Blue skies, cool breeze, a scattering of leaves. Anna and Will actually said they were chilly... how great is that?!

Fall is definitely in the air now, coloring my dreams in oranges and browns. I can finally walk into the mall and allow myself to look at the store displays that have been proclaiming Fall and Halloween and Thanksgiving for weeks already. (I still avert my eyes from the expanding Christmas aisles. If I don't see it, it's like it's not there, right?)

I'm ready for pumpkins and the scent of cinnamon and no longer sweating when I walk to the mailbox at the end of my driveway! Bring on the crunchy leaves, and I will happily plod right through them and gather them into piles to my children's delight.

I love Fall! I just wish we had a bit more of it.

The Stamp of Justice - Some Thoughts for Easter

Today I mailed an Easter card to a far-away friend. I decorated the envelope with a few Easter stickers declaring "He is Risen!" Then, as I attached the stamp in the top right corner, I noticed it said simply, "Justice."

Justice. How appropriate. How profound. Justice is a heavy word, one bearing the full weight of the law. When Justice is truly served, it may be hard, but it is right, and there is no way around it.

Justice fell on Jesus on a Friday. Not for anything He had done. It was the Justice we deserved. He served the sentence, taking the punishment for our crimes. Crimes against God, against our fellow humans, against ourselves. We are all guilty before God. Justice.

God placed the stamp of Justice on Jesus as He hung on our cross in our place. Justice was fulfilled.

On Sunday something remarkable happened. With Justice now satisfied, God placed the stamp of Mercy on us. Mercy. Grace. Forgiveness. Hope. Life.

Why?

Love. That's Easter.

Free Like a Hawk

A couple days ago I was walking around our neighborhood and saw a hawk land on a tree branch with a dead squirrel in his grip. I stopped to watch for a moment as the beautiful bird looked around and hopped from one branch to another with his catch.

I was a little sad for the squirrel's loss of life, but still impressed by the hawk's skill and beauty and majesty. And I wondered what it is about birds of prey, killers that they are, that captivates us even to the extent of making one a symbol of our nation. And I came up with a theory.

Hawks, eagles, and other birds of prey are apex predators just like killer whales and tigers. No one seeks to eat them. They occupy a position of freedom and power. Fear is unknown to them.

We humans, on the other hand, are a strange lot, an apex predator by virtue of our brains. Physically, we are not so impressive compared to other animals that could easily devour us. We are not the fastest or the strongest. We don't have sharp claws or giant teeth. Other critters can see and hear far better than we can.

And yet we have these thumbs and these crazy brains that enable us to imagine and create and dominate. But these same brains that make us a threat to all other species by the way we can manipulate the world around us, at the same time, make us painfully aware of our precarious lot in life. So, even as we dare to dominate this world, our own self-awareness threatens our sense of security.

The hawk remains confident, powerful, and free from fear. And those traits make him very attractive to us. How we long to rise above the weight and fear and mess of this world... to fly in freedom.

How fitting then that our deepest longing is matched by our gracious God. He assures us that those who hope in Him will "renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:31) For Christ-followers, saved by grace alone, made new creations by the love of God, there is freedom from fear and sin and death.

Thus, we look at the mighty hawk with yearning and admiration, and find that our Creator, through Jesus, has even more so bestowed upon us the very traits we crave. "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:1) So go... fly!

Alive

Boredom is our enemy. But entertainment is not the answer. Entertainment is, after all, a mere rabbit trail distraction. The real answer is excitement. Passion. That's what makes you feel alive. Find yours. And do it. Why not spend life feeling alive?

The Snowball Effect of Three Little Owls

Sometimes I have a knack for complicating things. For example, Jon gave me three beautiful pictures of owls for Christmas. It was such a thoughtful gift. I had mentioned that I just realized I really like owls a lot (perhaps a victim of some covert marketing scheme, but I like them nonetheless). And I had seen some really cool owl pictures at a store. And then my insightful hubby found some owl pictures at a different store and got them for me. How cool is that?!

So I have these lovely owl pictures, and I must find just the right place to hang them. Will they go in the living room where they look so cozy against the soft green walls (but there's not much room for them)? Or the toy room where they would add a touch of sophisticated whimsy (but... with the kids?)? Or the master bedroom where I can admire them privately (but I'd like everyone to see them)? Or perhaps the hallway (but I've always planned on hanging family pictures in the hallway)?

As one thing leads to another, so my search for a home for my new owls leads me to consider the hallway and our family pictures. If the family pictures were in place, I would have a better idea of where exactly the owl pictures might go in the hallway. How can I possibly rule out the hallway when I'm not sure where the pictures could go? I'd hate to hang the owls, and later discover that that would have been the prime location for the family pictures.

So I started with a simple proposition: to hang my new owl pictures. And now I find myself in the midst of a full-blown project of organizing my entire inventory of picture frames (which I have been collecting over the years for this very purpose), selecting just the right family photos, and arranging the photos in appropriate frames. It is a big, time-consuming project, which is why I have no family photos hanging in my hallway, which of course hinders my quest for a place to hang my owls.

While I am making progress on my family photo project, I still wonder if I should just choose another location for the owls to perch and be done with it. But what good are the family pictures if no one ever sees them? And what about the decorative shelves I found in the back of my closet that need to be hung up somewhere? Once the walls are all adorned, the house will feel that much more cozy and friendly. Now, should the shelves go in the living room...?

And my three little owls rest quietly against a wall in my bedroom, waiting for their day to come.

Hopes and Aspirations for 2013

Here we are in 2013. A whole nother year. A chance to start anew, to tweak some of the good things, to tear down the bad. It's the dawning of fresh opportunities.

Or is it simply the day after yesterday? It depends on what we determine to do with it. How we think about it. It all begins in our minds.

So what will we do with this gift of a new year? Let us dare to take the chance. Try something new. Step out of our comfort zones. Grow and succeed. Stretch the boundaries, especially the ones we impose on ourselves. Reach out to help others. Be the one. Take responsibility.

Now, go! Start, and keep on starting. Happy New Year!