Lessons from the Heart

Recently, my family celebrated the 50th wedding anniversary of my parents.  To honor this significant milestone, 10 family members loaded 2 cars and headed out on a Texas road trip.  Don't worry!  One vehicle had 3 seats and 3,000 snacks.  We could travel anywhere with those accommodations!!! Although the 10 of us live less than 30 minutes from one another, so many times "life" simply gets in the way of gathering to spend uninterrupted, quality time together.  There were beautiful lessons woven into the patterns of this weekend away.

• The greatest gift we can offer one another is the gift of our time.  When we take the time to listen to our loved ones and visit with them, we feel God's peace.  It is easy, in the chaos of our every day lives, to forget the importance of simply being in the presence of those we love.  I am so thankful for the time we shared with one another.
• Sometimes, we all need to just float aimlessly down a lazy river.  When one floats, he/she loses track of time.  Losing track of time forces one to live in the present moment as God encourages us to do.  As I floated, I found myself thanking God for each beautiful flower, every tall tree and an innertube that kept me afloat!  How many times do we forget the preciousness of each moment?
• Laughter is the best medicine.  When we departed for this weekend vacation, I counted a party of 10.  Thank you, Jesus that we ALL made it from point A to point B!  Some Texas road stops between home and San Antonio, Texas are the size of small states.  The struggle to get everyone back in the vehicles at each stop is real!  One might think it was an easy task to keep up with everyone once we arrived at our final destination for the weekend.  We simply couldn't.  As we gathered outside, Pawpaw was missing.  As soon as we found Pawpaw, a member of the "12 and under crew" disappeared.  All we could do was laugh.  To laugh with one another illustrates love on a beautiful, deep level.  God rejoices when we love with all our hearts.
• Celebrating life's milestones is important.  When we pause and celebrate important milestones, we reflect on the true goodness in this world.  I love the words of the Apostle Paul as he proclaims "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things."  (Philippians 4:8).  Now, more than ever, God calls each one of us to pause and celebrate all that is good.  
• Spending time admiring God's creation is a beautiful experience.  My favorite area of our resort was a large deck under a giant oak tree.  Huge rocking chairs lined the deck as far as the eye could see.  On one particular evening, some of us sat and rocked in those rocking chairs under a beautiful moonlight sky.  How many times, as an adult, do we pause and look at the stars in the sky?  When we're young, star gazing just happens.  As my family rocked back and forth, under a canopy of Texas stars, we paused and gave thanks.  We gave thanks for the good times.  We gave thanks for His provisions in the dark times.  God's creation is so magnificent. We find our souls wrapped in His peace when we have moments to capture the sights and sounds of His world around us.

On this day, not all of us are in a position to load our cars, board an airplane and begin a vacation.  If you are, please call me before you depart.  I can pack quickly!  I do believe, without leaving home, we can incorporate the lessons I learned into our daily lives.  Give someone today the gift of your undistracted presence.  Listen with all your heart, your soul and your mind.  Do something without any time constraints.  Live in the present moment.  Laugh.  Celebrate God's goodness.  Pause, and admire the beauty of God's creation.  Be grateful for His peace.  Amen.