Enveloped In Mystery

This photo was taken yesterday morning. There was such a thick fog, but the sun was glimmering through. It enveloped everything with a golden light that shone through the shroud of mystery and quiet of the fog.

I can't help but think of my life and how often my pathway seems to be shrouded and enveloped with fog. But the sun glimmers through, bringing rays of light and soon warms things up until it's all crystal clear.

A hope to remember and watch for.

I am grateful for the sun that cuts through the fog.

I am grateful for the beauty of the hope that shines, magnified through the mystery.

I am grateful for a lens that catches the hope and makes it tangible.

Loveliness

Today was a lovely day.

This morning started off gray and rainy. I left for work and it was cold. Once I arrived at work I was busy and didn't even glance out the window until someone asked me if I'd seen the beautiful picture. I looked at her blankly and she pointed outdoors where I saw white snow flakes drifting down softly, making the world appear clean and soft as cotton. It started to fall with big thick flakes and then it came faster and suddenly the ground was covered. I enjoyed keeping on eye on the beautiful picture from my desk.

At the same time I was smelling a wonderful scent of cinnamon. The kids in the preschool upstairs were making cinnamon ornaments and they were baking them in the kitchen across the hall. Smelled absolutely wonderful.

There's a sweet little girl who comes to visit me at least a couple times a week. I keep a candy dish mostly just for her...and today I had little candy canes. The peppermint flavor tickling my tongue reminded me of freshness. And her excitement made it even more fun. :)

Every now and then the teachers upstairs cook things. Today they made chili and invited me to have some for lunch, too.

I was feeling so Christmassy, what with the cinnamon, the snow, the peppermint that I turned on a classical Christmas Pandora station. So lovely.

I came home and found a missing box of ornaments and helped Mom add them to the tree. We drank tea and ornamented. Then we watched a movie while I worked on several projects. It was nice to accomplish some things and finally cross them off the list.

So here's a list (I do love lists!) of things that made me happy and smiling.

Snow, softly falling outside, making the world white.

Peppermint, tickling my tongue.

Cinnamon filling my office with a wonderful scent.

Warm chili, at just the right moment.

A little girl eating candy canes.

Classical Christmas music.

Hanging ornaments and drinking tea with my mother.

Sudden laughter.

Satisfaction from accomplishing important tasks.

Thank You

1. Thank you God for encouraging words.
2. Thank you God for assurances that I am valued.
3. Thank you God for prayers on the phone with friends.
4. Thank you God for a positive and hopeful future.
5. Thank you God that I am halfway through school! 
6. Thank you God for family that hugs me.
7. Thank you God for peppermint whoopie pies.
8. Thank you God for being there, always.
9. Thank you God for beautiful pictures glimpsed through the day.
10. Thank you God for strength and grace.

Focus On The Goal

Focus on the goal. Straight ahead, there is the goal. Focus on it.

Focus on the goal. Even when the way ahead is blindingly hard, focus. Think above the pain of the going, think above the here and now. Focus on the goal.

Focus on the goal. Do not lose sight in the way when other things come into view. Think of where you are going and do not let it out of your mind. Focus.

Focus on the goal. The goal was predetermined. The goal is the higher good. Do not faint when it is hard to reach.

Focus on the goal. Focus on the strength and the endurance to make it to the goal. The strength and endurance is inside. Focus.

Focus on the goal. Work toward the goal. Race toward the goal. Make it to the goal. Focus on the goal.

Magnificat

And Mary said,

My soul doth magnify the Lord,

And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior,

For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.

And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.

He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.

He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;

As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed forever.

My soul doth magnify the Lord.

Windows To The Soul

I love this picture of the windows. This was taken in Israel, at the Church of Loaves and Fishes by the Sea of Galilee.

It just looks so serene, the light coming through the window.
It's dark inside, but the windows let the light and peace in.
Like our hearts which are full of darkness and sin until we let the Light of Christ in. Then it's flooded with light and peace.

Windows to the soul.

Eucharist

Eucharist

Communion. The Great Thanksgiving.

For what?

Crusty brown bread. Sweet, fermented wine.

Celebrating a death and a resurrected life. Celebrating a death with a death, like this:

Bread, the body of Christ. Broken for me, for you.

Bread, yeasty and tasting of wheat.

Wheat which was ground up. Sifted.

Wheat from a berry thrown on hard, cold ground and left to die. Wheat lying silent and alone. Seeds die in order to live.
Wheat in us that brings life and wholeness and nourishment to our bodies and lives.

Christ in us. The bread represents Christ. It somehow becomes Christ in us. The bread of life. Life to body and soul.

Wine, the blood of Christ. Spilled, crushed, for me, for you.
Grapes. Ripe and purple and juicy.

Crushed. Crushed by the weight of a thousand pounds of stone, crushing out the life.

A thousand sins crushing out the life. Left to ferment in the dark. And why?

And every time we eat bread, and drink wine we remember.
Bread, an everyday necessity.

Wine, the most common drink of all.
Remember. Remember every day. Remember when you taste it. Remember when you eat.

Remember and give thanks.

Eucharist. Thanksgiving.

The Great Thanksgiving.

Give thanks for death? Give thanks for pain? Give thanks for these things? Pain that leads to a gain that is greater. Death for something that is more powerful.

Give thanks for...dying, every day?

We participate in His death by our own daily dying.