Life in the Slow Lane

Contemplating life, faith, words, and memories

Tag: joy

It’s Almost Here! — December 23, 2020
Saviour, Christ, born, nativity, Star of Bethlehem

It’s Almost Here!

/Sherrey Meyer

Today I’m not only talking about Christmas as I declare “It’s almost here!” I’m also thinking of the end of 2020. Thinking of it as the “year that was” should feel good.

And with those thoughts, we can move ahead into 2021 with hope and anticipation of better days ahead.

This Christmas season will be different for many of us. Traditions set aside for safer gatherings. Perhaps one less in that family photo or at the table. Inability to visit and cheer those housed in nursing facilities or in the hospital. And likely many more. If we love as Christ taught us to love, we are willing to accept these inconveniences.

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Joy in the Time of COVID-19 — March 25, 2020
desert. blossoms, purple flowers

Joy in the Time of COVID-19

/Sherrey Meyer/6 Comments

I did not intend to use the COVID-19 label in my post title, because you have heard enough about the virus without my adding it to headlines. Yet this was the catchiest title I could come up with today. 

One item Bob and I have on our daily calendar is our time for morning devotional and prayers. In recent days, we’ve been following Henri Nouwen. The daily meditation is waiting in our inbox before we get up and out of bed. It’s been a good day starter for us.

Yesterday’s meditation seemed chosen specifically for this time of crisis for all of us. As we read it, I thought of all the things that are happening around us. What could we possibly find joy in right now? My recovery, the birth of our new great-granddaughter Aurora, a friend who suffered a traumatic skiing accident a week ago and is recovering, and the joy of being together in this time of stress and tension. It made us more aware of what joy really is. I thought perhaps it might help someone else if I shared it here:

Be Surprised by Joy
 
Learn the discipline of being surprised not by suffering but by joy. As we grow old . . . there is suffering ahead of us, immense suffering, a suffering that will continue to tempt us to think that we have chosen the wrong road. . . . But don’t be surprised by pain. Be surprised by joy, be surprised by the little flower that shows its beauty in the midst of a barren desert, and be surprised by the immense healing power that keeps bursting forth like springs of fresh water from the depth of our pain.

 

For more information on Henri Nouwen, his writings and work, click here.

Featured image attribution: nicko mcluff from Pixabay

What Does Thanksgiving Mean? — November 23, 2016

What Does Thanksgiving Mean?

/Sherrey Meyer/12 Comments

What Does Thanksgiving mean to you?

Hear the word “Thanksgiving” and what comes to mind?

  • Food and lots of it;
  • Football and lots of it;
  • Napping after the food and football;
  • Family gatherings, and realizing perhaps why you don’t get together more often;
  • For farming families it means the harvest;
  • For moms and grandmas it’s baking and cooking sometimes for days;
  • And the day after we now call “Black Friday” even though some retailers begin on Thanksgiving evening.

These are some of the most common responses to the meaning of Thanksgiving. But in our country we have so much to be thankful for that these responses seem inadequate, in my opinion.

My gratitude list for thanksgiving

Gratitude should be part of our every day, and yet we live very different lives one from the other so pick your best way to show your gratitude. On this day, this Thanksgiving eve I am grateful for:

  • My family–a loving husband, our three children and their families;
  • Our church family;
  • Our home sheltering us from the cold wind, rain, and maybe snow;
  • Nature and its beauty all seasons of the year;
  • Music, which lends harmony and peace to our days;
  • Books, which teach us and bring pleasure to our lives;
  • Love, peace, hope, and faith–cornerstones of our spiritual lives;
  • And for God’s enormous gift of His Son Jesus Christ.

Taking time for gratitude allows the joy to fill your world in greater abundance.

To you and your family wishes for a ~

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