Finding the Beauty Again

Its been so long since I sat down to write something. Too long. (And I know in 2012, I had a post with a similar start that lead to another 2 years before this one with no posts in between!) I have tried in the past 3 years since we moved back stateside from Guam- can’t believe it has been 3 years already! It’s something about moving, being somewhere else, getting into a different rhythm from place to place. Thats not to say I still don’t feel a passion for writing & sharing. I certainly do. But with 3 kids, especially now that my oldest is in school here and participating in extracurriculars, has kept me busier then I ever expected. Funny, I thought as they started school it would be easier but its actually just a new kind of busy as you go from toddlers & preschoolers who you are constantly chasing around, to sending them off to school & driving them to all the different functions & after school activities! I can’t believe this fall I will have 2 in school, though again- no less busy I am sure! I have been thinking about how different it is here compared to Guam too. I miss the little things. Even though on Guam I had 2 young children to keep me busy, life seemed somehow slower there. I had a conversation once with one of the amazing friends we made (who I dearly miss!) while living in that little piece of paradise. I had never thought of it much directly until she brought it up, but it was true, island life somehow felt slower. You notice things more. You are more open to seeing the beauty & wonder of God that is surrounding you. Not just in that it was a tropical island either, because honestly, while nice sunny days are awesome, I have always been much more of a Washington girl! I like my hills & mountains. I like the truly long stretches of roads through forests of evergreen trees. And I especially love the warm glow of autumn trees with their scarlet & golden leaves. Fall is my season and I pined for it horribly when we lived in Guam. Also Christmas- I know plenty of places around the world don’t typically have a white Christmas- even Washington rarely boasts an actual white Christmas (more often just the wet variety), but a warm Christmas, in a tank top & shorts? Not my idea of getting into the spirit of the season. Despite all that though, I marveled at the revelations God would show me when I just opened my eyes. I always felt His presence so much more on that little island then I had ever before though I know He is always with me no mater where it is we may go. It’s me that changes, that grows closer to Him, or slides back & gets caught up in the hectic ways of the world, as my vision of His greatness gets dulled by the everyday. He doesn’t change though.

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. ~James 1:17 (NASB)

As we prepare to (finally!) make a decision about membership in a new church, I am reminded I need to get my focus back where it belongs. I need to see the beauty more, I need to see through the eyes of Christ, especially when it comes to people. I need to find the good, instead of simply judging flaws and overlooking anything else in my blindness. I hope I can be a better light for Him, as He has always been the Light for me in my own time of trials. I don’t know how often I will get around to writing about it, because with 3 kids now (verses 2 when I started this blog), plus a fairly new puppy dog, I am kept on my toes quite a bit. But I know I want to try at least semi regularly because I like to I feel like just maybe I am helping someone out there with just a little bit of encouragement on their own walk with the Lord. Even if its just a little bit for one person.