Taking, or Not Taking Life for Granted.

When the health professionall told me a couple of years ago that I had spots on my lung, liver and kidneys I was in shock. I asked him to lay it on the line, so he told me that it did not look good. He said that I needed to see my personal doctor soon to get a second opinion.

Those several days of waiting helped me to consider all that was taking place and where I might go from there. I sat and I prayed and asked God for grace, and healing (if that is what he would allow) or for me to have the peace with another path that he would choose for me.

As I sat looking out at the woods I realized how precious each breath was and how I had taken so much for granted before. I also saw how delicate the balance of life was in this world. During this time, my family

prayed for me as well as my 90 year old friend who was a

Christian and an ex-businessman here in Winona. He had

lost a son some years before who also was a teacher. His son Mark was working on his doctorate in school admin. when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He had a wonderful wife and two children. It was hard for my friend watching his son slowly wilt away, but he told me that he was sustained by God's grace and I would be as well. At that time, he gave me encouraging scripture versus and said that he knew that God

only had the very best in mind for me and my family, and that God's ways though hard to understand at times, were always for the best when we give to him our lives and our futures. In the end, I was ready for the worst news, but what happened next puzzled the doctor as well as myself. My second set of x-rays were completely absent of any growths, and for that matter, there were no scares where the growths had appeared in the previous X-rays.

I have to remind myself of those days that I waited for what I thought would be bad news. It made me so observant of life, family and having the right priorities in life. God was gracious in sparing my life and I am so thankful for that. God's purpose for me has not ended yet, and I need to seek his will each day of my life. Each and every precious day.

Tombstones

As we get older we see just how fragile life can be. Friends, family and people that we know are perhaps slowly passing away. 
One day when visiting my hometown of Jackson, Mn., I was walking through our cemetery with my brother, when I looked out at the tombstones and said reflectively, "I know more people out here than downtown!" We both smiled and I thought how truthful that statement was. Life travels on, but how will we be remembered by others? As I looked down at the tombstones, I saw so many stories untold. I realized perhaps no one knows anything about their lives. What will be our legacy to those that survive us? Will we be remembered or forgotten?  
As I thought further, I came to understand that it is our love for others that survives even though our names might be forgotten. Thinking further, I realized that when we teach others to love one another, that is what counts, even more than our names or our personal history. Love means giving without desiring to gain anything. What better example can we have than our Savior Jesus Christ who loved us so much that he gave his life so that we could live forever, with him.

Enjoying the Moment

Sometimes it is the simplest things in life that are overlooked. We have a tendency to seek the grand adventure or magnificent event, so much so that we fail to enjoy the precious moment before us.

Perspective

Driving by Lake Winona Abby and I spotted this out on the lake. One person sees the work and hassles involved with more snow, while another sees it as an opportunity to make others smile. I vacillate between the two at times, and I have a tendency to look at all the work involved more often than I want to admit. When looking at snowstorms as a challenge, God gently nudges me through my children, by showing me a snowman and I am reminded to change my perspective.

Sumac trees outside our window. As I look at these trees everyday I see God giving me a lesson on marriage. Two becoming one while sharing their space, they support each other and become more than what they can be by being alone.