Now these aren't huge in the eyes of the world, especially in the second list (those just help keep me sane). They won't change my life forever, they won't save the world, nor will they put my kids through college. But I have found that these simple things can make a big difference in the way my day and peace of mind play out.
All my life I've been running and trying to slow down - only to slow down and see that it didn't make a difference. I've begged God over and over again to help me live my life and not just watch it go by. Then He showed me that He has been doing just that. I just haven't been paying attention. (Sounds a lot like my report cards in elementary school.)
Things that really make me pause and enjoy life...
Babies - They hold the true innocence and joy of God. I can't help but have tears in my eyes when I hold a newborn, or laugh when making silly faces at a toddler.
Fresh Cut Flowers - They are so bright and colorful. They bring life to any room.
Animals - I don't have to be holding one to appreciate them. No worries, I'm not in danger of becoming an old lady with 50 cats. But since we've moved to Colorado, we see a lot of animals all the time. Some wild, some on farms. I love watching the eagles soar overhead, or the baby calves run and play together. It's been amazing to see how even horses care for each other. Just driving by farms we've seen them nuzzle up nose-to-nose and just stand like that for what seems to be forever. We even saw a baby calf being born as we drove by. I tried to get Matthew to stop, but it's not exactly his idea of an exciting afternoon.
Animals show a fun part of God that I don't think other things can. His creativity is amazing.
Nature - This one doesn't always catch my attention immediately. Probably because it's all around. If I literally stop like I do with the others, I would never get anything done.
I can say that not a day goes by that I don't notice the beauty of the snow capped Rocky Mountains. There's also nothing like seeing the pine trees that hold snow by the handfuls after a winter storm.
Little practical things that make a big difference for me...
My house could be a complete mess, but if my bed is made and my room is straight - all is right with the world.
We could be totally broke and not have a dime to our names, but if I have two sizes of garbage bags (white kitchen and large lawn bags in the garage) then all is right with the world. Keeping an extra roll of paper towels in the cabinet even brings a feeling of rest. That may sound lame, but those are also the things that I'm most likely to forget to buy at the store. So I can let go of a tiny bit of stress somewhere.
When I turned 40... I just felt so cheated by time. It went to fast.
But on the flip side, I think I've come to some pretty big realizations about myself. I can remember about 5 years ago when Matthew came home one day to give me the day "off". He said I needed to go out and do something for myself that I would enjoy. You've got to be kidding! I didn't have a clue as to what that would be. I was actually afraid and drove around in circles for a long time.
I think I finally ended up at Sonic for a Diet Cherry Coke.
I'm very thankful that God is revealing to me exactly who I am in Him. Grant it, it's taken a while, but I can be a bit hard headed at times. I know... shocker!
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1 comment:
It is truly nice to sit and read about you. We often hear about the boys, or church, or the random things in life... but it is truly nice to hear about Tammy.
Kind of made me feel as if we were sitting at the big table again trying to have a meeting that lasted for hours because of the bond of friendship. We miss you so much, and I can honestly say that life is not the same without you.
We miss you. We love you. And we look forward to hearing from you again very soon. Take care.
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