Stop and Smell the Roses

Good morning all my 'Net friends and family.  What a beautiful morning our Heavenly Father has given us today.  As I walked our little furry friend- Jax - I marveled at the beauty of the early morning and was greeted with a choir of birds singing their little hearts out.  Thank you Lord.

As I walked, prayed, and took some pictures, I thanked God for a wonderful day yesterday.  I am learning to be thankful for each good day, hour, or minute that we have together and slow down to savor it. 

This is a difficult lesson for me to learn for I have been in a hurry all my life!  As I have said before, if we had known about ADHD and ADD, I would have been diagnosed with both.  I tend to rush through everything which leads to not enjoying life to the fullest.  This has changed dramatically. I am learning to "stop and smell the roses."

In the past it would take us about 45 minutes to bathe, dress, and be ready for the day.  Now it may take this time for Roy to dress and walk to the kitchen.  His brain has to override the Parkinson's freezing of the muscles to unlock the moving of his limbs.  The legs and feet are the most difficult to get started. 

Balance is the other biggie.  This disease about destroys your sense of balance so you fall or think you are going to fall when standing and walking.  It is scary for him so he tends to move very slowly and often we have to stand still, begin marching in place and then move forward.  Slow is the name of the game and we are learning to relax when this happens and just talk about something else for tension makes it worse.

This gives both of us time to stop and smell the roses and everything else around us, plus it tires both of us so much that enjoying what is around us is about all we can do.  Oh what a change in our pace of life.

This beautiful little day lily reminds me that in the midst of confusion, tension, and drastic changes in our lifestyle, the eyes of God are on us and we are not alone.  He tells us in His Word that He wanders the earth seeking us and when we slow down and look for Him, we find He is there and ready to walk, however slowly, with us each step of the way.  The lovely edging around the petals reminds me that there are bountiful blessings of peace, joy and contentment found with our Heavenly Father.

I think this lily is one of the most beautiful ones I have and it always reminds me of the Holy Spirit.  There is the purity of the white and the gold reminds me of the holiness and power of God.  Without this Spirit living in our lives, we would be frustrated, dissatisfied and miserable all the time and chafing at our lives now and in the future.  With this Spirit, we find peace and a strength to meet each challenge every day.  Thank you Lord for this Holy Spirit which lives in us so that we can glorify you.

This beautiful lily is Solomon's Robe.  The camera cannot capture the true richness of this flower and neither can we capture all the richness and wisdom found in God.  We are so thankful for the insight and wisdom that He gives us to live as fully as we can with a disease that destroys. 

What a lesson this little flower teaches us.  God is in the big events of our lives but most importantly, He is in the little events.  Yesterday was a wonderful example.  We had a doctor's appointment  to find out why so much confusion for several days and we traced it to a kidney infection which can be cured.  A sweet friend offered to bring us a casserole, which I had to turn down because of the appointment, and then another friend called and talked with me to give me some conversation about the school world where I used to work.  Roy was doing better than he had in about a week, they came and mowed our yard, which we were about to bale for hay, and I got a nap.  These are the little things which make our days full of joy.

This is my lily which brings me peace.  The lavenders with the golden center reminds me of how beautiful each day can be when we look for the Lord's glory which shines in the center of our world and the whole world around us.  His glory shines and brings light to the darkness and leads us to the beauty of life lived for Him.  Life is good when we know Him.

Thanks for stopping by this morning and now to pray and thank God for all He has done and is doing in our lives.

Nuff said,
The Georgia Peach