Psalm 103:8-11  – He is merciful and tender toward those who don’t deserve it; he is slow to get angry and full of kindness and love. He never bears a grudge, nor remains angry forever. He has not punished us as we deserve for all our sins, for his mercy toward those who fear and honor him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.

Gratitude 715

Friends – I am SO HAPPY for all of you that decided to just go by the flowers! You go! It was so fun to hear from you that decided real flowers during winter is OK. Well, actually, real flowers any time of the year are fantastic! Thanks for taking care of yourselves.

So, here are a few things that are giving me inspiration these days. I share these with the thought that maybe someone else might need a little thought or idea about how to add a bit of joy to their daily lives.

Joanna Gaines has been replaced in my kitchen. In the very best way.

For months, the kitchen counter looked like this. A beautiful Joanna Gaines cookbook in a cool little holder. Sometimes while coffee was brewing, I’d open up her cookbook and think about what I’d make for lunch. Other times, I just looked at the pretty pictures and dreamed.

Recently, she was replaced by another book. A BIBLE.

Seriously.

I had this thought that maybe I could read a psalm a day while the coffee brews in the morning. I could encourage myself to take those few minutes and do something for me. Historically, this was when I would unload the dishwasher. But these days, I’m letting my retired Hubby Rick do this. (Shh … please don’t tell him this. I’m not sure he has caught on yet.)

So, I removed Joanna Gaines and put in a Bible. I opened it to the Psalms, often about the middle of the Bible, and waited until the next morning to start reading.

I’ll be honest. I don’t read a Psalm EVERY day. But I have more days than I have not. You could put whatever book you want in a similar holder. And read just five minutes a day. See what happens. I’m just about a week into this experiment and glad I’ve tried it.

This story.

I had never heard of Jordan Stoltz until last night. He’s a 17-year-old speed skater from Kewaskum, WI and is part of the US speed skating team at the Beijing Olympics. His story is so inspiring. When he was 5, he watched the Olympics with his family and became enthralled with speed skating. After buying him some skates, his Dad plowed some snow off the pond on their property and Jordan began learning how to skate. Now, he is an Olympian.

I find this story so interesting because his parents saw his passion, embraced it and have figured out a way to let him follow his dream. It truly is the story of a little person watching the Olympics and deciding this is what they want to do. Such a cool story.

Can you ever check too many books out of the library?

I think I have. When I looked this week, I have like 23 books checked out. Yes, some are overdue. Thank goodness our local library has waived overdue fines right now! How did I end up with so many library books at one time?

Crazy.

So, this is my little PSA – use your local library! They LOVE you. LOVE them back.

I’ve been listening to this song on repeat. And the words are REALLY, REALLY good.

The line that is the cornerstone of this song is this: Let me tell you ‘bout my Jesus.

And then, she lists all the different ways she has experienced Jesus in your life.

Here’s me being honest for a minute: I’ve felt a little distanced from God. I know it’s not God that moved. I’m the one that has done the moving. I’ve kept myself doing things that will help me feel closer to God: reading scripture, praying every day and worshiping God and am waiting for the closer feeling to return.

I share this simply as a little heads up that even when we “do” the things we think we should do to feel close to God, there will be seasons when we won’t.  Sometimes, we may not feel as deeply about something as we would like. This is OK. When one of these seasons happens, please do not run completely away from God. Keep searching and listening and praying and looking for inspiration that will draw you closer once again.

Maybe it’s your marriage that feels this way right now. Or an important relationship. Possibly it’s how you feel about God in the moment. When this happens, I pray we hunker down and decide that a lull is OK. There is nothing wrong with lulls. Hopefully they help us appreciate the good moments even more.

God’s mercy and grace are so HUGE and BIG and DEEP. God will always be patiently waiting for us to feel more at home in our love for God. So, if you feel a bit distracted, it’s OK. God hasn’t left. Please don’t leave either.

For assurance God is always present, I am grateful.

Blessings –

Dianne

Holy God – thank you for being patient with me, especially when I’m feeling further away from You. Come into my life and draw we back close to You. Amen.

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