Reflection

It has been a long time since I pulled an all nighter, but Tuesday Jamie and I and Jennifer did just that. Jennifer's water broke around ten, we headed to the hospital while Jon stayed at home with the other two and by midnight Jamie had joined us because she was about as excited to see this new baby as anyone. And by late morning our little Molly was here. At the time it didn't seem to be such a special deal....not that we weren't anxiously waiting, but lights were out, the machines were on a constant tracking wave, the heartbeat was steadily being monitored, and the pace was slowed and calm, and Jennifer had had her epideral and we were all just coasting. But in reflection, it was a moment in time that cannot be recaptured again.

So many times it is not until we look back in reflection and realize the blessings that have been sent our way, the moments that have generated a bonding in relationships, or an adventure that will forever be molded into the memories of our hearts.
Reflections are not to be dwelt upon but absorbed as being vignettes that are part of what makes us as we are. It is through reflection that our eyes are often opened to see a new perspective, and absorb a deepened sense of the way we are connected and bonded through relationships and shared experiences.

It is the time we share and the things we share that bring us closer together. For it is in the "time spent" that we get to know and understand others. Isn't that the way it is with God....the more time we spend with him the more we understand about what it is that he has envisioned for our lives, and how we are able to live contented with what he has allowed or who he has allowed to be in them.

This was just a night at the hospital....but it reinforced relationships. Even the 2:30 run to McDonalds's for a cup of coffee with Jamie was an event that will hold true to my memory. (I don't even drink coffee but I was freezing). And seeing Jennifer, my daughter expecting and waiting in such patience to meet her newest daughter, a sight to behold as the mom and grand mom. It is the little things truly that hold such great merit in our lives. This one event would trickle down and be a lasting thread in history. But part of the process...is in the waiting. This sounds a little too analytical I know....for what effects one person may not even be noticed by someone else. But it is in reflection that we do learn to try to appreciate what is in our midst today. Sometimes it is in the mere simplicity that we gain our greatest knowledge, through our most endeared experiences. This night was one of mine. You have those times as well. We must learn to cherish what is before us for this time will never be again.

Proverbs 27:19
As water reflects the face, so one's life reflects the heart.

It is in reflection that God sometimes enables us to generate His sense of purpose. For wherever we are are whatever situation we are placed in...is our opportunity for God's grace and love to be reflected through us. We look for the grand picture, and the grand opportunities, but in reality it is the little moments that thread the grand tapestry of each of our lives. This was one of those sewing moments for me. Take a minute and reflect on what some of those moments have been for you. For each of the events and experiences and people God has allowed in your life and mine, have been orchestrated and woven into our lives for a purpose that God has ordained for His glory. He is sewing our tapestry with the dark threads as well as the threads of color. Sometimes we can see a part of our life tapestry clearly, while other times it is in reflection that the picture of God's grace has been clarified.

It was a simple night of quiet waiting....a girls night out.....that I will cherish forever. Upon reflection, it was an unplanned opportunity on our part, that God offered to each of us, for a treasured memory. May you too seize the simple opportunities
that God has offered before you, for in them there may be lasting blessings.

Molly Ann was born on Wednesday morning...mom and baby are both doing great...to say that we are blessed is a mild statement of our sincerest gratitude to God.

Dear Lord, thank you for the simple moments that make up so many of the memories of our lives. May we stand in reflection of the footprints that you so faithfully leave behind that have been moments of truth and mercy and grace and blessed times. Amen

Praise God wherever you are and whatever situation He has allowed you to be in . . . His glory will shine through!