The Wonder and Bewilderment of a Sneeze

All is quiet. You are sitting there, minding your own business. Suddenly, with very little or no warning, you feel it. It rises up inside you like with a tidal wave of force, no holding it back. Your eyes close unbiddenly. You are sneezing, and there is no way around it.

Why am I writing about sneezes, you ask, and rightly so? The two giant sneezes I had at 11:30 PM last night, after I had been sleeping for an hour. They came on for no apparent reason and sat me straight up in bed. The two giant sneezes my husband had this morning as he made his breakfast, also no apparent reason. This got us talking about sneezes, their power, their slight terror, the weirdness and yet great efficiency they have.

As He designed us, God must have been thinking of how to get rid of foreign objects that happened to come our way. And He came up with a sneeze. Brilliant. I love it. There are so many bizarre and wonderful things God has created. Long giraffe necks, chameleons that change color, prickly squash to keep pests away.

If you are brave, take the survey below. There are all kinds of sneezers out there…..my husband and I are definitely the loud and scary kind.

Enjoy your Tuesday,

Lisa

Peace Despite

Rossbeigh Beach, County Kerry

Peace despite the raging sea, the howling wind, uncertainty

Peace despite the circumstance, the strong what-ifs, the hurt within

Peace, it comes as gentle dove, as quiet voice, as ever there

Peace His Name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Risen Lamb

c2022 Lisa Lyons

May you find the peace that passes understanding, resting in the arms of a great and unchanging Savior. Blessings, Lisa

In the Quiet

I found a few blessed moments of quiet yesterday afternoon on my front porch. (And can I just say that I would love to hug the inventor of front porches? 🙂 )

The things I saw in the quiet:

– Green, green everywhere. So many different shades, so many different shapes. The leaves seem to be riotously enjoying their greenness before the start of autumn.

-The first three leaves that had fallen from the trees in the cooler air. They lay on the porch looking shocked and a little indignant for their too early demise.

-A male and female cardinal chasing each other from the dogwood to a neighboring elm.

-My fuzzy cockapoo enjoying himself and looking for blue tailed skinks. (One of his favorite pastimes)

-Spiders spinning webs furiously. This brought a certain amount of consternation in me, as I daily try to keep them off the porch. But I had to admire their tenacity, and I thought about the fact that spiders have to eat too. ;/

Things I heard in the quiet:

-Blissful times of absolute silence. Nothing.

-Occasional cars and trucks passing by on the road

-Neighbors working outside.

-Various insects and crickets

-The tapping of my dog’s toenails on the wooden porch when he tired of searching for the elusive skinks.

-My occasional sighs, as I released tensions that I was holding deep inside.

Things I felt in the quiet:

-Peace

-Hope

-Joy

-Wonder

-Excitement

-Creativity

-God’s presence

Thanks for reading this far. I encourage you to carve out even five minutes of quiet today. See what happens. Or what doesn’t happen, which is sometimes better.

Blessings, Lisa

The Beauty of Quiet

Valentia Island, Ed Lyons

“A quiet tongue shows a wise head.” – Irish Proverb

“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be.” – Anne Frank

“Truth hath a quiet breast.” – William Shakespeare

“I lived in solitude in the country and noticed how the monotony of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.” – Albert Einstein

“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.”-Isaiah 30:15

Blessings, Lisa

In Mind of Ireland

County Sligo, Ireland
County Sligo, Ireland

It is a soft, misty morning here in Virginia.  The clouds are draped softly on the trees, the grass, the ground.  The white swirls around as I drive.  I feel as if I am wrapped in a soft fluffy blanket, and I am instantly, happily, back in Ireland on a similar day. 

A low whistle, the uillean pipes, the guitar, the lyrical stories in song fill my car’s speakers.  I begin to smile, to imagine, to be there.

Sitting in the pub, on a soft misty day, eating an amazing fresh-caught fish, a lovely Smithwick’s pint to wash it down. 

Not knowing exactly what will happen next, but blissfully not worrying about it. 

Listening to the session musicians, watching the set dancing….people much older than me who could dance as if they had springs underfoot. 

The dark, warm wooden tones of the pub wrapping you up to insulate against anything the outside might throw your way.

What a lovely morning of imagining, of remembering, it has been.

Slainte, Lisa