Standing as tall as she can
She stretches her neck towards the sun
Petals showing their age but still retaining color of blushes
Lightly lined and becoming dry
She is happy to be there, in the garden, in the sun, in the green
Feeling the touch of the wind and the rain on her skin
Still alive and lovely and glad to be
c2016 Lisa Lyons
Holding on, letting go, and finding joy and meaning in the midst of it all…life seems to be a balance of all these things. As I grow older, I find more and more that what I need to hold on to, what is constant, is my relationship with God who made me and knows me. Whatever changes in my life, He doesn’t. And I’m so thankful for that.
I’m a musician, a pianist mostly. Everything else springs from that…the vocals, the songwriting. And in the past few months, I found that I have a problem in my thumb…no cartilage from overuse. So I’ve been icing, heating, exercising, resting, bracing the thumb that I took for granted all these years. My daughter and I were talking about Prokofiev the other day, and it hit me…I probably will never play that again. Too much strain on the thumb. And it made me sad. Holding on, letting go, finding joy. Loss is a part of life for all of us, but after the storm of sadness, there is still joy. I can still play the piano, just differently, and I am thankful. I don’t take it for granted anymore like I used to. And I’m not just a musician; I’m God’s child. And one day, all will be made new; no more tears and sadness. And that’s joy.
I thought about not sharing all this, because I never want to be a downer, only an encouragement. But I know that many of you are facing hard times also, and we are here to pray and help each other along the way. Let me know if I can pray for you. Blessings, Lisa
“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.” – Isaiah 12:2a
My dog Fritz is one of my heroes. He is now 15 and a half years old, and going strong. 🙂 He can’t hear or see much anymore and has trouble with his back legs, but he doesn’t let that stop him. He does laps around the house, “working out” as we call it. He still enjoys his food to the maximum. He still gets playful at nighttime. And yesterday when I took him for a walk, I almost had to run to keep up with him. Excited, sniffing, eager….and when we got to our final hill of the driveway, he was bounding and pulling at the leash going up the hill. What an inspiration and joy he is to us. My husband and I look at him all the time and say that he is what we want to be like when we get older. Loving life and loving us. What more could you ask for in a dog and a friend. Have a blessed day, and bound up a few hills! Slainte, Lisa
I can’t tell you whose birthday it is today, because he/she is the subtle, don’t make a big deal about it birthday kind of person. A “birthday protection program” of sorts. So in leiu of a big giant embarrassing greeting online for everyone to see, I will post a picture of them in darkened silhouette, to protect their privacy. 🙂
Since I’m not wishing them a happy birthday in public, I will choose to share this quote from J.R.R. Tolkien instead. “Still round the corner there may wait, a new road, or a secret gate.” May your day be full of adventure, your year be full of joy, and your life be full of love, dear anonymous one. Blessings and Love, Lisa
The two dogwood trees have flaws. There are hollow spots in the trunk, yet the trees are still blooming, producing leaves. They are still beautiful. They still provide wonderful shade while I’m waiting for Amy to get off the bus; one of them has a bird’s nest nestled in the branches.
Yesterday, I talked briefly with an older gentleman sitting on a bench outside Walmart as I was leaving. We talked about the sun coming back out and other weather-related discussion. I noticed a cast on his arm, and asked if he had broken it. He told me of trouble he had had with his skin as he was aging, and said, “I looked in the mirror this morning and almost broke it.” He laughed halfheartedly, but I said, “We all see things in the mirror that we don’t like sometime, but I think you look great.” He smiled and we said goodbye.
Flawed but still beautiful. We all have our things, things we would change or fix or erase or improve. But our God sees us as His creations, beautiful children that He has made and that He loves. He can still use us, despite our flaws, hollow spots, failings. Thank goodness. Have a beautiful autumn weekend. Slainte, Lisa
“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4: 13)
“He has made everything beautiful in its time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
Think About These Things 