Category Archives: Life

It Is

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There are many ways to get where you’re going…..down the road or through the hedge.

One of the best things about blogging is getting the chance to put the things that are flying around in your mind into a concrete form. Writing something makes it seem more lasting.

As someone who deals with a permanently dodgy ankle, there are times when I am confronted with things I have trouble doing. I have found that focusing on the things I can do, rather than what I can’t do, is an infinitely better way to live. But sometimes circumstances or needs come up and force my attention onto the can’ts.

My sister said a very wise thing to me as she saw my struggle and guilt over my can’ts. She said, “It’s an it is. You can’t worry over something you cannot change.”

Read that again: “It’s an it is.“

Instead of ruminating endlessly of how to change my ankle and its oddities, I have been accepting it better since she said this. My completely fused ankle is a fact. Unable to be changed. Not my fault. I have been looking for accommodations, for other solutions, for ways around the problems. And not beating myself up with guilt for things I cannot change.

Yes, I realize that this is a variation of “It is what it is.” But for some reason, just hearing the words in a different way helped me to accept it.

So, little sister, thank you. This has helped more than you know.

Also, note to self…..you never know how little things you say to people can make a difference in encouraging them along their journeys. Keep encouraging, keep loving.

It is…..well with my soul.

Love, Lisa

Thriving at the Base of an Active Volcano

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The Pitons on beautiful St. Lucia, taken by Ed Lyons 2013 on a moving boat

People all over the world live on islands with active volcanoes. Hawaii’s big island, the Canary Islands, the Solomon Islands, St Lucia, St. Kitts and many others in the Caribbean, and the list goes on. These are beautiful places to visit and to live. The people who reside there have learned how to negotiate times of activity and eruption.

Why am I talking about active volcanoes? More and more people today are struggling with the anger and stress that come from the frustration of dealing with an ever-maddening world situation. These stresses and angry feeling build up, and over time, people erupt. I am seeing more and more of this lately, in stores, in people’s driving, in personal interactions. Dealing with people’s anger and eruptions is difficult for an introverted peace-loving person. I do realize, however, that everyone is different, and everyone’s way of resolving conflict is very different. But how does a person such as myself cope with these eruptions and maintain personal peace in the midst of the lava, ash and explosion?

I decided to look at the tips given on the internet for surviving during an active volcano.

-Remain indoors with windows and doors shut until told it’s safe to come out.

-Stay away from areas with heavy ash fall.

-Clear ash from your home and property.

-Get medical care if necessary. (Source: wikihow.com)

Here is what I have gleaned from this advice as it pertains to people’s eruptions.

-When people are yelling and erupting, it is best to stay in a removed location. Remove myself from the scene of the eruption until it is over.

-Afterwards, stay away from the triggering topics to avoid getting burned until all is dormant.

-When things are very calm, deal with the issues calmly and try to remove the triggering frustrations or situations. Clear the ash from myself. Keep calm and carry on.

-If I need help in dealing with these eruptions, talk to someone. Get the help I need to survive and thrive.

And most importantly, keep my eyes fixed on the beauty of the volcanic mountain. All people are beautiful and made in the image of God. Those same people who are cutting you off in traffic, snarling at you in the checkout line, hanging up on the customer service phone are people who are in need of love, of acceptance, of salvation. They are hurting people who need God.

People living on a volcanic island usually love it. The beauty of the towering and rugged mountain is inspiring and amazing. It is their home. They have learned to negotiate the hazards safely.

Lord, give me the grace and sight to see everyone as You see them. We are all struggling these days with amazing amounts of stress. Give us Your strength.

Love, Lisa

Rise Above the Clouds

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Take a close look at this photograph taken at Silver Strand beach in Ireland. Let your gaze focus upward. The yellow flowers growing in stone, the sheep grazing above the dangerous precipice?

There are challenging situations all around the flowers and the sheep, but they have moved past them, above them, through them.

Think of an airplane approaching an angry storm, dark lightning-filled clouds. If at all possible, the plane gains altitude and flies above the clouds. It sets its path beyond or around the storm and does not fly through it.

In my life, there are many scary precipices, stony rocks, dark storm clouds. But I do not want to focus on that. I do not want to fly through them anymore. I want to rise above the clouds. I want to soar with wings like eagles. I want to fix my eyes on Jesus Christ, my Savior, my peace.

Life races by at a breakneck pace. Days turn into years at an alarming rate. I want to fly, to grow beautiful flowers, to eat delicious food. I want to laugh, to smile, to love with my whole heart, to see new things, to appreciate the old. I want to live with the best attitude that God can give me. I want to enjoy this beautiful God-given life.

Lord, let me rise above the clouds. Love, Lisa

Birds In the Shop

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There was once a pet shop that specialized in selling exotic birds from all over the world. Each was beautiful and unique in its own way.

One was flamboyant, colorful, loud, opinionated. She squawked and preened and positioned herself all day for best effect.

Another was more subdued and quieter. Muted browns and dark reds, quiet moaning coos, but still beautiful. She preferred to be left alone and remain still.

And then there was the singing bird. The one who, if she had her way, would sing all day. Not particularly colorful, but when she sang, her true beauty and uniqueness shone. The other birds became annoyed with her, and by looks and glares, they convinced her it was best to remain quiet.

All of this continued for many days, weeks, months. The tension in the shop was palpable, even though the birds all had their own unique wonderfulness.

Until one day, the shop door was propped open. A warm spring wind was present, and the shop owner wanted to feel the hope of spring on his face. He did not notice that the songbird’s cage had been left slightly ajar after the cleaning. All he saw, moments later, were the joyful tailfeathers of the singing bird as she flew away to freedom. He heard her singing voice, and he smiled.

After that day, the other birds decided they missed the singing bird, and they were kinder to each other. They let each other be who they were. All birds who were created uniquely and beautifully. And sometimes on a warm spring day, they would hear the beautiful song of their friend, the singing bird.

Upside Down

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See the source image

The little girl sometimes liked being upside down, but only for a little while. She swung so high on the rope tree swing that her daddy made. Her feet would go way above her head for a moment. Feeling upside down even though she wasn’t, almost touching the oak leaves with her bare feet. But the relief of being feet planted on the solid earth, right side up, was grounding and safe.

She learned to do a head stand up against the basement wall, her head firmly set in a soft pillow. The blood rushed furiously into her pounding ears. The room looked bizarre and unsettling. She could only take a few seconds of this, and then would plummet back into right side up reality.

One day, she got up and everything was upside down in the world. Everything. The grownups talked about a virus. She didn’t really understand. She tried and tried, but she couldn’t get things right side up. People looked and sounded weird, upside down. She felt unsettled all the time, as she tried to make sense of this new world.

But then, suddenly, the thing that had caused the upside-downness, the bad virus, went away. The world tipped back the right way. She was more than happy. She was peaceful, grounded, safe, normal. She smiled, and the whole world saw that smile.

Love, Lisa

*For all the children who need normal to return.*