Lift Thine Eyes

 

a sunrise over the ocean
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We were sitting up in bed, leaning against our pillows, coffee mugs in hand, which is our daily routine. From the beginning Gary has got up first to meet nature's call, then stops by the kitchen to make coffee for both of us. At the same time I get up, straighten the bed covers, turn on an all-music station on the TV in our room and then climb back into bed just before he walks in with the coffee. 

We don't say much as we sip our coffee, trying in that pre-dawn hour to remember who we are and what we are supposed to be doing. 🙄 I often speak first with something non-sensical, which may or may not prompt a reply from my man. The other day it was this:

me: Thank you for waking up alive.

Gary: Yeah, that's getting to be an achievement.

So another day has begun and we are grateful for our health, our home, the coffee, and each other. 😊 (All kidding aside, health is good.)

I am sort of scratching my head as I think about what to share from this past week. Like last time, the days have been on the sober side but as Charles Dickens said, "There is always something for which to be thankful." That's the way I choose to look at life.

The family continues to process the passing a couple of weeks ago of my brother -in-law. This week a longtime family friend passed away, and then my mother exhibited "end of life behavior," as the nursing home phrased it. But hours later she was sitting up in bed, eating a sandwich for lunch. We understand this can happen over and again, so in the meantime, we just kinda "sit lightly," ready and not ready for whatever. 

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A quote I read this week from Priscilla Shirer made me underline and scribble a large star in the margin of her book, Discerning the Voice of God, How to Recognize When God is Speaking. "God's goal in your life is to move you from a mental knowledge of Him to an experiential one." (page 163) Serious things lead me to wonder just what it is He wants me to know about Himself.

Of course, politics are an unsettling subject. I won't go into that.....

I continue to be drawn to books having to do with psychology from a Christian perspective. Our world is unsettled, angry, dangerous. We see behavior illustrating that on the news all the time as well as up close. This past week I completed a self-guided study of this book:

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Written on a very practical level, the chapters were titled:

How to Be Wise in Relationships

Who's Pushing Your Buttons?

How to Resolve Conflict

Breaking Free From Abuse

Escaping the People-Pleaser Trap

Keeping the Crazy-Makers From Making You Crazy

Students should study this stuff in school and adults should review it occasionally. I gained a much better understanding of what is going on. My biggest take-aways can be summed up like this:

1) Hurt people hurt people.

2) Our behavior is the result from hurt we've experienced.

3) Hurt people need massive doses of kindness.

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On a lighter note, I picked up this book by Chip and Joanna Gaines at the lending library here in our retirement community. I like to read biographies so maybe I can learn from the successes and mistakes of others. It's a quick read with input from both Chip and Joanna, along with some family photographs. They are more daring (risk-takers) than me, but the reading was enjoyable.

patio on the front of our home

The worst (most hot and humid) of our Florida summer is beginning to wane just a little, and how glad we are about that! Gary and I take our 1.3 mile walk after breakfast most mornings and then he sits on the front porch while I ride my bicycle that same route 3 times.  That  logs out to just slightly under 4 miles on the bike and 1+ miles on foot. (I have to do something to balance out my ice cream intake 🍦😋) 

When Gary gets cleared by the doctor to ride his bike again, it would be good if we can return to the 3-5 mile route we used to take together; but at that, it's been over 5 months since we could do that, so we may have to work back up to it. In the meantime, each time I ride past him while he's on the porch, I flip the lever on the ka-ching! bell on my handlebars and Gary waves at me from his chair with his million dollar smile.

The print below, by Norman Rockwell, is a favorite of mine. Look very closely to see the words on the sign between the cathedral doors:

"Lift up thine eyes"

How easy it is for us to look down as we contemplate our problems and world events. The solution is to lift up our eyes to the Lord, to inquire what it is He wants us to know about Himself. When we do, we will be glad we did.

I close with the link to the musical notes of "Lift Thine Eyes" from the Canterbury Cathedral. Many of you, like me, enjoyed singing this in your school choirs. The harmony is exquisite. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PP7FpSm5Uyo

Until next time, grace and peace.