Restoration

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 197: Today, I am grateful for restoration.

We love watching restoration projects, castles and historic manors and homes, in particular. There is something about seeing something forgotten, neglected, and broken down being restored to former glory. Some things seem completely hopeless, but then a skilled tradesperson or an artist steps in to help. It seems miraculous. 

There can be seasons in life that are full of unexpected trouble that makes little sense in our own understanding. Sometimes, God's bigger picture means today's struggles are present and very real. I love this reminder that God loves to heal, mend, and restore brokenness. He heals the brokenhearted and sets the captive free. 

"I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you." Joel 2:25

Restoration often takes time. Patience can be hard, but it is worth the wait. 

Today, I am grateful for restoration.

Cute File Folders

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 196: Today, I am grateful for cute file folders. 

There is something about cute file folders that make any task less dreary. They help make items quick to identify and help with organization. These are by an artist I love, but there are endless versions of printed, fun, file folders. 

Some work is more tedious than others. Sometimes you just need to dig in and get it done. Other times, a cute folder is a finished project or task. I know that most things are digital in this day in age, but I still love a cute file folder. 

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” – Colossians 3:23

Cute file folders can be tiny "attitude adjusters" when we need them most. They are not... in my opinion... frivolous. They are soul food. 

Today, I am grateful for cute file folders. 

Paintbrush Perspective

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 195: Today, I am grateful for a paintbrush perspective. 

"Some people wait for life to become beautiful; others pick up a brush and paint it that way." -unknown

Some truths are deep, some are simple. Sometimes there is something profound in the most simple of truths. There is power in picking up the paintbrush. Paint the world you want to see. 

Paint the kindness that is missing. Paint the hope that seems lost. Paint the sunshine, the rain, and the flowers. Do not forget to add some glitter to the paint. This world is full of beauty missed because we fail to recognize it... or to create it. 

Perhaps, love is our paintbrush. Dip into patience, truth, trust, humility, kindness, and protection. 

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. -1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Create the world you want to see. Put down the posters, social media posts, and the memes. Pick up a paintbrush. Do the work. Change the world one stroke at a time. 

Today, I am grateful for a paintbrush perspective. 

Promises Kept

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 194: Today, I am grateful for promises kept.

There has been superstition around "Friday the 13th" for generations. I do not really understand it. Still, the idea of "Monday the 13th" makes me giggle. Fridays have a goodness about them that is hard to miss. Mondays mean the work week has just begun. 

Whatever the day brings your way, I hope you coffee (or other morning beverage) is just the way you like it. Remember that you are not alone and that you have important things to contribute. You can do hard things, kind things, and things you do not want to do. 

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." -Philippians 4:13

Today, I am grateful for promises kept.

Summer Salsas

 

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 193: Today, I am grateful for summer salsas.

Our favorite Michigan B&B (a.k.a. Craig, Monica & Addy's House) had all kinds of Michigan Cherry Festival goodies available. We were dying to get our hands on Koegel's Pickled Bologna (a Michigan thing and it was waiting for us) but the entire summer is about cherries in Traverse City! We were fortunate to be there for the Cherry Festival with some of our Smith family. Our hosts did not disappoint. 

This cherry salsa was so good. It had a little kick, but not too much. It was great with tortilla chips, but it could be a little splash of flavor anywhere you might use salsa. 

Summer salsas offer so much color and flavor to any meal or snack plate. They are often packed with healthy ingredients. Do not be afraid to try something new. Delight in new experiences. 

“He gives food to every creature. His love endures forever.” – Psalm 136:25

Perhaps everything tastes better when it is shared with family and friends.  I think Dr. Seuss would agree that summer salsas are good everywhere you might eat "Green Eggs & Ham." 

Today, I am grateful for summer salsas.

Commitment

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 192: Today, I am grateful for commitment.

It is hard to believe how fast the years go by. I remember when being married almost forty years meant the couple was old. We are not there yet, but it is not far away. I often write in wedding cards that "marriage is a perfect commitment to an imperfect person." I believe that to be true.

"Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins." -1 Peter 4:8

None of us is perfect. Life has beauty and tears. Happy seasons, trials, and plot twists are all part of the story. I am grateful,,, not for a perfect life... but for love that endures, forgives, laughs, and presses on through it all. 

Seeing an elderly couple holding hands always melts my heart. There is a richness in an old and seasoned love that is unique for every pair. They can finish each other's sentences, and sometimes, no words are needed. Just a look or a touch is enough. 

Commitment counts. It is the glue. 

Today, I am grateful for commitment.

Nature Art

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 192: Today, I am grateful for nature art. 

Much of art is having the eyes to see. Art is deeply personal. In my mind, there is a difference between crafting and art but they overlap. It takes a creative mind to look at a pin cone to see an owl, a bird, or a frog. 

The images shown caught my eye. Perhaps it is because I have just read "Theo of Golden" where there are artists of many kinds. It is, also, VBS time and nature art is typically inexpensive and kid friendly. These examples are sweet and new to me. 

The thing about gathering components to create an animal out of sticks, stones, nuts, greens, grasses, and pinecones is that it requires to look at the ordinary with new eyes. I have never looked at a walnut and seen the shape of a frog's head, but some artist did. Art is often the ability to think outside of the box and beyond what others see. 

Our Heavenly Father paints sunsets every night. He sculpted Adam from the earth and His breath brought us to life. He hangs the named and numbered stars in the same way we place our most beloved ornaments artistically on a Christmas tree. 

The most amazing thing to me is that great beauty can follow brokenness. The broken pieces come together in new ways. 

"“Yet, you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” – Isaiah 64:8

Art is more about the heart of any piece than perfection. Embrace the imperfect, the broken, and the restoration found in seeing with fresh eyes. 

Today, I am grateful for nature art.