The Gathered Graces

Monday morning - is it the beginning of a work week or the ending of a weekend?  In reality I guess,  it is a little of both and that is okay.

This past weekend I had the grace of nothing.  Pure unadulterated nothingness was savored.  Each empty moment was gathered into a bouquet of grace - a fragrant and beautiful reminder that even in the nothing His presence abounds. 

I need these bare moments. 

It is more than a need.  It is a craving – a desperate ache to be empty and wanting. 

In a world that wants to be inundated with things to have and with things to do, I want less.  I hunger for nothing.

I am learning that until I am naked and wanting.  I will not see.  I cannot hear.  I forget to touch.  I barely live.  I am too easily distracted by thoughts and things and people. 

This weekend was abundantly nothing.  That was good, so very good.

Still savoring the simple and stark. 

Today I join in with a thankful heart and gather the gratitude ...

- a long weekend away to empty
- a husband who loves to laugh
- dogs who are happy to see me come and sad to see me go
- garden fresh tomatoes still warm from the sun
- sweet corn on the grill
- thunder and rain on a hot summer evening
- a camera that can capture what I never really saw
- a heavy sigh and a warm embrace



Also joining in today with Laura and Playdates with God:





© A Sacred Longing 2009-2011

There is nothing but God’s grace. We walk upon it; we breathe it; we live and die by it; it makes the nails and the axles of the universe.

-Robert Louis Stevenson

Sweet breath inhaled on a early morning walk

Sounds of dripping dew

A visual and tangible reminder of  a morning's devotion..."What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." 

A community's stand for one who stood for us

Lots of shoes and the feet that are waiting for them

Warm cups of tea

Letters to a mother

Soft pillows, clean sheets and a warm home

Gentle and kind words


My very breath is a full measure of His grace.  For neither the remainder of today or the plans for tomorrow are guaranteed. 

Here and now my gratitude and His grace are meeting.  May it not be the only time these two shall dance within my heart and on my lips.

Grace and gratitude belong together like heaven and earth.

Grace evokes gratitude like the voice an echo.

Gratitude follows grace as thunder follows lightening.

Karl Barth

 

© A Sacred Longing 2009-2010

One Thousand Gifts...counting on

Like gathering flowers on a spring morning, I continue to enfold the graces given.  To look upon and remember that their amazing abundance should not be missed.

I nearly missed these moments, my friends.  I almost chose not to be there and ever grateful that I didn't.

21. Sunrise on the Chesapeake Bay

22. A precious and holy moment at the start of my day

23. A warm, cozy fire with precious friends

24. A vision of home

25. Catching up on some much needed rest

Ever grateful I am that the recollecting continues.  Grace in the simplest forms should never be missed.

© A Sacred Longing 2009

A Journey of Grace

While it seems most fitting to save "starts" like this to the beginning of a new year, I don't think that this should wait.

I have waited too long.

Could this be why my days long gone have felt like something less?
Could it be why my present day seems jumbled and harried?
Could it be why my days to come seem pressing and formidable?

Simple things unrecognized and often, just plain ignored. In my missed appreciation, much more was lost.

So, this day I join the multitude in giving voice to my thankfulness.

1. A shimmering blanket of white that forced upon us a pause to life.

2. Hope that can be found in silence and prayer. An echo of Light in the gray, dark of life.

3. Beauty that speaks Truth

4. A hot and steamy bowl of chili.

5. A faithful friend waiting for me.

And so it begins.

A testament to the bounty that was and is and will be upon my life.

A record of simple things and yet profound, for in their recollection I am given much.

Like a gift being unwrapped, in the remembrance and then the writing, I am finding the treasure within...perspective.

So with this post I join my gratitude with others and though it may be a day late, it really is not. For it is never too late to be grateful.

To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven.
Johannes A. Gaertner

© A Sacred Longing 2009

A long and winding road...

I have been on a long road to daybreak.

It seems like I have been walking hard this last year.

I know that there are times in our lives when the journey seems more cumbersome; when the scenery we pass by is sparse and when the steps we take are incredibly lonely.

I know this doesn’t surprise you (those few that venture to this blog) as my writing has reflected a heavy heart and heavier feet.

Even so the path I wander, much like yours, is full of twists and turns. Our foolish hearts and impaired vision would have us believe that the scenery and thus our lives are stagnant and barren.

Don’t believe that lie!

For rooted deep within our spirit is the joy that comes from the Creator Himself, it is there where our faith is fashioned not by the circumstance of life but the love of our God.

Anticipate the future and its changes with joy. There is a seed of God’s love in every event, every circumstance, every unpleasant situation in which you may find yourself.
Barbara Johnson

I am cresting this hill. I know it.

There will be more hills ahead. I know that too.

My prayer is that my heart and my vision will see the seeds of heaven, first and foremost.


On this Thursday, I am thankful for so much….

I am thankful that my husband’s health. The news we received from the doctor was positive and relieving. Our prayers have been answered – no medical intervention is necessary.

I am thankful that my sister-in-law has made it safely to Ohio. She continues to grow stronger. A few days ago she was able to ingest some applesauce and speak a few words with her speech therapist. We continue to pray that she will not be ventilator dependent and rejoice in the hope that continues.

I am thankful that God never wants to leave us where we are.

I am thankful quiet rainy mornings, my bible and my journal. Add a pair of PJ’s and a cup of coffee, heaven on earth, I tell you!

I am thankful for this blogging community. Sweet friends in Christ, who inspire, encourage and sweeten my days. I am grateful for your prayers. I appreciate your visits and enjoy your comments.


Walking a little bit lighter and a lot brighter….



© A Sacred Longing 2009

Falling like rain...

Gratitude and humility are overwhelming me. Pouring down upon me much like the incessant rain that is falling outside my window.

I know that long before this earth existed I was on God’s mind. I was and remain an object of His focus. In Him and through Him, all the broken pieces of my life have been made whole and holy. I bow my head in humility for I know that I deserve none of it. While He has never taken His focus from me, my eyes have not held the same gaze. Yet, still, grace and mercy flow…

I know that I have been placed here and now, much like Esther, for such a time as this. I have been given opportunities to live the life of faith that I profess. In Him and through Him I am equipped for the task. He supplies all my needs, all my strength to accomplish the task He has set before me. I fall to my knees in humility knowing I deserve none of this. While He has the task prepared, I have chosen my own endeavors. Yet, still, grace and mercy flow…

I know that I have been loved completely and sacrificially. Loved to such a depth that I cannot fathom where the beginning differs from the ending. I fall to my face in humility knowing I deserve none of this. While He loves me beyond my comprehension, I fail to love beyond my own irritation. Yet, still, grace and mercy flow…

As the raindrop falls freely from the sky, so does this grace and mercy fall from Heaven.

I cannot stop it.

I don’t want to stop it.

Without it my existence would be unbearable.

With it my existence is given new life.


Join in with others for a Thankful Thursday at Truth 4 the Journey and at Lynn's