Sid and I returned this week from a little winter break in Florida. It was great, no doubt. While we were there, we were in the moment and enjoyed being with family and friends and attending the local Messianic Jewish services as well. Yet when we came home, we felt the special beauty of coming home. We are so connected here in so many ways that the feelings of getting back to our real lives were so good, despite the mounds of laundry and weeks of mail to tackle.

My sister’s new home where we live when we’re in Massachusetts overlooks a lake and has an area of lowlands between her home and the water’s edge. At this time of year in her back yard there are ice covered swampy looking areas and green algae or lichens on the bark of many of the trees which are leafless since it’s winter. Some would look out her beautiful picture windows and see a swamp with colorless fungus covered trees. I look out and appreciate the ability to clearly see the lake since there are no leaves on the trees to obscure the view. I’m anticipating the thousands of spring peepers (tiny frogs) that will be serenading soon from those vernal ponds. As I jogged the streets in her area and had my special time with our Abba, He opened my eyes to such beauty.

Clearly our experiences are the result of our perspectives. Thankfully, our life journey and the choices we make, as well as the insights we develop, allow our viewpoints to change over our lifetimes. We are constantly growing and changing, hopefully for the better, if we allow ourselves to engage more deeply in Him.

When you’re stuck in traffic, can you be grateful that you have a car? That you’re healthy enough to drive? That you have a place to go – a job or social event? Even a doctor’s appointment, the ability to seek good health? When you can’t find work, do you find more time to serve others? When the kids are driving you nuts, can you remember to be grateful they are in your life? When your aging parent is demanding, can you remember the many years he or she was there for you? Can you see others with compassion?

Do you see the lake or complain about the leafless trees? Do you see a swamp or remember the mysterious return each spring of the peepers’ chorus?

I love the lines from Steve McConnell’s “One Thing Right” – “If I could get one thing right in every moment of my life, it would be to see in you and me the spark of God’s divinity, and appreciate the artistry that connects us all as family. If I could get just one thing right, I’d want to see you through those eyes.”

My friend from Florida texted me to say it’s 82 degrees and sunny. I’m glad she is appreciating that. For me, I am looking at a cold but beautiful New England winter day with my hubby, our puppies, prayer time with my Abba, looking forward to Shabbat dinner with our home group, services on Shabbat, time with family and friends, and appreciating a warm home where I can tackle the laundry and unpaid bills.

We are so blessed, especially when we begin to see with His eyes.

Shabbat shalom.
Diane