Encouraging Deep Roots

I recently went for a walk and took this photo. The funny thing was I really couldn't see well nor look directly at the tree while snapping the picture because the sun was so bright. Since having cataract surgery I notice that being outside is difficult because the brightness does hurt my eye. I know that will change as my eye heals. But when I got home I thought this was a neat shot with the tree standing alone, the sun shining through the branches and the shadows on the ground. There was beauty in the stark branches against the backdrop of the snow. I love taking nature pictures. I love getting out and hiking. I enjoy being creative. God has wired me to be able to do many different things, to be able to do them quickly and do them fairly well. And yet, so often, I keep trying to stick to one thing. I think, "I have to stop doing multiple things and only do this thing." And every single time I attempt that I find myself sinking into feelings of being down and depressed. ...

I had a follow-up appointment at the eye doctor this week and it was busy in the office. When I came out of the exam room there was a crowd of people around the receptionist desk. There was an Amish family, a few older and younger people and the waiting area was full of people too. It was noisy and kind of chaotic. As I waited my turn to check out, I heard the nurse call a man's name and then heard a rattle of chains. I looked to see a prisoner, dressed in a black and white striped prison outfit and shackled at the hands and feet being led by two police officers to the exam room I had just come out of. It was a bit of a shock as he was out of place. I do know the Amish family is front of me looked extremely uncomfortable! And I didn't feel much more at ease either as he was paraded right in next to me. I certainly wasn't expecting that to happen. I commented to my husband on the way home that he must have commited some sort of major crime as I couldn't imagine someone w...

I had my first cataract procedure on Thursday and it went well. I'm in that weird in-between place as I await my second surgery on the 22nd. So while I can see distances out of the new eye, I can't out of the old one. I can't see up close with the new eye but can with the old one. I'm handling it well enough, but the thing that is the biggest struggle is using the laptop since the distance is not right for either eye. This week is going to be kind of a challenge as I have multiple Zoom meetings all week! But overall, I am pleased and trying to be patient as I wait. Mondays are my day to look back over the past week and remember to be thankful. And I do have so many things to be thankful for in my life. 💓First of all, I'm thankful that the weather was decent enough this past week to melt the snow and ice on the streets so I could get out and walk. The week before I fell twice and because I don't want to end up with yet another torn meniscus or broken leg as I ha...

A friend gave me a book for Christmas called, The Red Sea Rules, by Robert J. Morgan. It's a meaty little book that I've been enjoying. It has also landed me in the book of Exodus and the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt.  They come to the edge of the Red Sea only to find their way blocked by the water and with Pharoah and his army in hot pursuit. And in typical fashion, the Israelites begin to freak out! They are frightened. In verses 13-14 of chapter 14 we read the following: But Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and see the Lord’s salvation He will provide for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you must be quiet.” Those two phrases stand firm  and be quiet  jumped out at me because when I'm anxious and worried about something those are the two things that I don't do! Instead I'm full of internal chaos and keep mulling the situation over and over in my mind. Mose...

Epiphany is the manifestation of God in human flesh; God with us. And it is God's manifestation not just to the Jewish people, but to the Gentiles. Today is Epiphany Day and Orthodox Christians around the world celebrate it.  The message that was communicated to me when I was growing up was, "Make something of yourself." "Don't settle." "You are better than this." and "Be somebody." That same message is prevalent in our society. It's as if there is a collective fear of being mediocre or insignificant. And yet, the God of the universe, humbled himself and made himself less, and willingly took on this frail human form. He allowed himself to experience emotions, pain and exhaustion. He came under the care of two human parents. He was betrayed by friends who were fickle. And ultimately he was tortured by arrogant men and died on a wooden cross which was a symbol of humiliation. Why would He do that? We go out of our way to avoid those neg...

Okay, Mondays aren't necessarily always fun days, but I'm going with that title! :-) I have a Zoom meeting this morning, but then I'm going to putter around the house and do some odd jobs here or there. One of my goals this year is to amp up my movement, but I'm going to have to come up with a different winter plan. I have to be so careful walking and then I'm not getting my heart rate up enough to make a difference. Last week two of the days I walked ended with me pulling a muscle down the back of my leg when I slipped on ice and then the following day taking a spill in the middle of the street. So plan B is coming up. I ventured back into sour dough, except I'm using some whole grain flours instead of white all-purpose. I'm only on day 3 of getting the starter going, but I have lots of fermentation happening already! Another goal is to read more books this year. I'm halfway through this one that my husband bought me. And I'm almost done with one a ...

  It's the first day of a new year and with that comes all sort of expectations of change. We set goals and lay out a plan for the year. We have the best of intentions. And that usually lasts for about a week or less, and then we are right back to the same old habits. Why is that? Because we are still the same person on January 1st that we were on December 31st. We have the same personality, bad attitudes and habits on New Year's Day that we did on New Year's Eve. Good intentions will not help us make change in our life.  As I sat and thought and prayed about some direction to go this year, I also reflected on the thoughts I'm sharing in this blog post. I'm still the same old Terri with the same tendency towards certain behaviors, thoughts and attitudes. Laying out a bunch of fancy goals will not change anything in my life unless I change at the core of my being. In my faith journey I have found that will only happen by staying connected to the Lord. For the past fe...