Only if Life was like a Hallmark Movie

I am STILL a Hallmark movie fan. Weekends, especially, you’ll often find me indulging in yet another Hallmark movie. Why, you may ask? So many reasons! They’re peaceful and calming. People are pleasant and kind. Their lives are focused on family, friends and doing good things. They’re wholesome and non-violent. The storylines revolve around love and happiness. But mostly -- because they always have happy endings. Who doesn’t like happy endings, especially when it comes to love?

We all do. But, the reality is happy endings aren't always guaranteed. Because of real life. Real relationships. Real people. Real problems. Relationships fail, friendships struggle or end, divorces happen, loved ones pass away, and true love often seems hard to find. When real life happens, we often feel disappointed and alone, especially during this month that is hyper-focused on love and romance.

Speaking from a gal who has been without the “romance” side for several years now, I know that earthly relationships should never be what determines our happiness. If our happiness hinge on earthly love or perfect relationships, we’ll always feel disappointed and, quite possibly, unhappy and lacking joy.

But, really I do know romance without a romantic lover. I experience that romance daily -- along with peace, joy, and even happiness through my relationship with Jesus Christ. He is the one constant that always assures my REAL life will have a forever after, happy ending. He shares about His unconditional and endless love for His children in John 15:9: “I have loved you just as My Father has loved Me. Stay in My love.” Jesus calls us to realize how much we are loved, just as the Father loves His Son. Oh, let’s breathe that in and embrace the intensity AND the immensity of that love.

In John 15:11, Jesus explains why it’s so important to recognize, and abide in His love: “I have told you these things so My joy may be in you and your joy may be full.” You see, it’s His love alone that can bring true joy to our hearts. God’s joy is the real love we all long for, but sometimes we look for and expect to find it in all the wrong places.

It would be oh, so nice if life were like a Hallmark movie and every relationship ended happily ever after. But I’ve learned it’s possible, each day, to be joy-filled and to feel happy no matter what’s happening in my life -- regardless of my relationships status. I know the true joy from God that is the “hallmark” of being a fully devoted follower of Christ. You can know this joy, too, if you’ll give your heart and life to THE ONE Who hears the desires of our hearts and Who fillls us with joy and happiness every day. His love is enough!

Shhh! Please Don’t Say That!

I came out of the fitness center yesterday and saw a couple loading up their air mattresses and other swimming gear. They had been enjoying a Sunday afternoon of swimming and playing water volleyball. I commented: “Looks like you had fun in the sun" and the woman replied “Yes! It was such a beautiful day!” And to her comment, I said, “Well, enjoy it while it lasts because before long it will be snowing!” She returned: “Oh, please don’t say that!” And then I thought….for goodness sake, where did that come from? I just brought in a negative image into their otherwise beautiful day. That's just not like me!

I’m the one that is usually wanting to put my finger to people's lips and say "Shhh -- don't say that!" Especially when I hear them say things like “I’m so stupid", "I can just look at a cookie, and I gain weight", "I get a cold this time every year", "I could never win at that", "I’ll never be able to afford that", "I’m too old to do that", etc. And, you know what…..they will continue to get what they are saying and thinking. “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit" (1 Peter 3:10).

I am typically an optimistic thinker and speaker. I wasn’t born that way, but through conscious effort and repetition, it's now my mode of operation….usually, except for that “snow” remark yesterday. Can I blame it on a "senior moment"? In all seriousness, I anticipate happiness, good health and success, and I sincerely believe that I can overcome any obstacle and difficulty with a "can-do" attitude.

Optimistic and positive people really do experience happy feelings; their eyes are bright, they're almost always smiling, they have more energy and their whole being broadcasts good will, happiness and success. Even their health is affected in a positive way, and they walk tall, their voices are more powerful and their body language shows the way they feel.

Positive thinking and speaking is contagious, but so is negative thinking and speaking. We really can become optimistic and control and change our thoughts and what comes out of our mouths.. It’s like changing the channel on a TV – we see a program we don’t want to watch, so we change the channel. In the same way, when a negative thought comes to us, rather than continuing to think that negative thought….change the channel to something good and positive.

If we make a conscious effort to speaking positive, writing positive, reading positive, watching positive and take actions that make us feel positive, eventually, it will be second nature for us to shift any negative focus to positive. If we persevere, we will transform the way our mind thinks, as well as the beautiful things that will start coming our way. So, let’s start thinking before we speak. Those positive thoughts might produce the harvest we’ve been believing for!” Right Thinking. Right Words. Blessed Life!

Proverbs 18:4 “A person's words can be life-giving water; words of true wisdom are as refreshing as a bubbling brook.”

I'm in My Happy Place

Just look at those smiles! Those are my grandchildren who all live here in Austin, their new "happy place", after having been strung out from Georgia to Seattle. What an amazing turn of events. I can’t begin to express the joy of their dad and mom, Ryan and Shawntel, having their boys (and our Ruthie, Braden’s wife) close to them. When I arrived on Friday, everyone was here at the Wuerch’s for dinner – laughing, sharing, contributing advice, offering genuine understanding to each other and such sincerely respecting each other. It is a "happy place".

After going to church together (sweetest “happy place”) yesterday morning, we went out for lunch and then back home for “my” famous chocolate cake. It was once called “Granny’s cake”, but now it’s been renamed “Nana’s cake”. I finally mastered the recipe. Lord, have mercy – it took me long enough. I could never get the icing to the hard fudge icing. But practice makes perfect – I did it!

My son is in his “happy place”. I witnessed it when I heard his big boys seeking his wise counsel. I witnessed it when the boys acted on that counsel. I love the relationship of Shawntel and Ruthie – finally, another girl to add to the mix of all that testosterone!! Such a happy place!

I share these personal highlights today to emphasize “happy place”. Do these family members agree on everything? NOT! Do they have the same likes and dislikes when it comes to food or movies or games or sports events? NOT! But they all agree they are in a “happy place” when it comes to celebrating each other and their achievements. They agree that they are here for each other – no matter what!

We all want to be happy and have places of happiness, but sometimes trying to find happiness can be a challenge. Often times we search for it in all the wrong places or ways, when the answer is much simpler. The places, the people, the sweet times can represent being in a happy place, but far more important is wherever we are and whoever we are with, shouldn’t determine our “happy place”. Psalm 144:15 says "Happy are the people whose God is the Lord." And, Psalm 119:1,2 says “Happy are those who live pure lives, who follow the LORD’s teachings. Happy are those who keep his rules, who try to obey Him with their whole heart.” Our “happy place” is wherever we are when our WHOEVER is God and we listen and heed His wise counsel.
Welcome to MY "happy place".

Joy to the World

What makes us all so much more joyful this time of year than any other time? Could it be that the angel's message to the shepherds holds true today? "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of GREAT JOY!" The good news. Christ is that good news that no matter how dismal everything around us might be..,,there is always GOOD NEWS of great joy that can change everything for us.

Yesterday was my girl's birthday and it was packed full of JOY! After a precious time of birthday celebration and gift-giving -- which of itself was full of joy because of our Lexi. She had a huge, heavy bag and said as she gave it to her mother....."I know it looks like Easter threw up on it! (Meaning the colored flowers and tissue which she found that could hold all her treasures.) Staci pulled out a stuffed bunny and Israel flags and kleenexes because she knew us -- that before the day was over, we'd be crying tears of joy. Lexi said, "I needed to add a few things to weight it down." And she had other items of her own as well as a couple of things she had borrowed from her mother, and used this birthday opportunity to return them all wrapped up. She actually did have some really great real gift items at the bottom of her "Easter" bag, but the journey getting to them was, to say the least, tear-making hilarious. Yes, we were joy-filled!

We girls saw where Elevate Life Church had posted on Instagram "FREE Women's t-shirts for women who came into their bookstore and said the word "JOY". In our usual style and form, we went in singing "Joy to the World"! No, we just don't roll with a simple "JOY" -- it's gotta' be "Good tidings of GREAT JOY!

Later, we went to Cracker Barrel for lunch and, lo and behold, a youth choir from LoveJOY, Texas came in and seranaded the dinner guests with "Joy to the World" and other carols. Of course, we thought it was just for us, but since there were other customers there with us, we let them enjoy themselves as well. ;-)

Back to my first paragraph here in today's post. Great joy!! What is that joy that the angel was talking about? Let’s seriously consider that Christmas night over 2,000 years ago. It was pre-electricity era – can you imagine the terror the shepherds experienced when the dark skies became brilliant as the angel appeared to them? But the angel gave them solace when he said, "Do not be afraid. I bring you GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY that will be for all the people."(Luke 2:10). Those terrifying moments were replaced with good news and great joy. The first words the angel spoke were words of comfort and words of command: "Do not be afraid."

“The Bible tells us in Psalm 16:11 that ‘In His presence is fullness of joy.’ If we want joy in our life, we need to revisit the Nativity scene and realize that's where God's presence was experienced in the form of that tiny baby boy. And, I'm here to tell you today, He is now a grown-up boy -- a King -- that, daily, we can experience His presence and know that GREAT JOY! We can experience it at a birthday party or a busy restaurant. We can experience it when facing a crisis or a disappointment. Joy isn't the same as happiness. Happiness is based on those ooey, gooey feelings when everything is going right. But JOY is based on the CONSTANT of He Who lives big within us. He is that GOOD NEWS of GREAT JOY and when we sing those words "Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare Him room......" That's the key....preparing room for Him inside to be the joy-giver, and peace-maker

Sincerely, God wants us to GET IT – about why He sent His Son Jesus -- the good tidings of great joy which is for all people. “Behold, I bring you good news of great joy!” I give you Jesus.

Welcome Home, Love!

After two weeks away, I was back home to T-Town, and saw that my yellow rose bush was blooming. I know it's Spring, but, in my own little world, I like to think that it being in bloom was a special gift from my Sweetheart in heaven. Yellow roses were a big deal for us during our 44-years of marriage. Our wedding flowers were yellow roses, I was his "Yellow Rose of Texas", we planted a yellow rose bush in every home we ever lived in, and when I would return home from any trip I was away from him, he always had a yellow rose waiting for me with a sweet note "Welcome Home, Love!". Those precious traditions still keep me cherishing the memories we made.

Maybe there are new (or even seasoned) widows or widowers reading this and wondering if life will ever get easier for you. My answer is "yes, no, yes, no, YES!" In the beginning it feels like a roller coaster ride -- going up, up, up with laughter and thanksgiving for the sweet memories, and sometimes down, down, down when you hear "your" song or smell his favorite cologne on someone, or experience Valentines, birthdays, anniversaries, Thanksgivings, Christmases -- without him or her. Other times, when you're embracing family, friends, sweet times and making new memories -- there's the tendency to almost feel guilty for feeling so happy.

After almost 5-1/2 years since my Sweetheart graduated to heaven, I can assure you that, if you'll embrace the journey that you are still on and know, without a shadow of a doubt that you are still on assignment, you will experience JOY again. Happiness equates to external things like your favorite TV program NOT getting interrupted when the storm comes through town or when your doctor gives you a 2-thumbs up because your medical tests were negative or when you get a bonus check in the mail. But JOY is that internal place of joy and peace that comes to stay, regardless of external circumstances, because God and His joy and peace live inside you. I promise you, joy will come to you when you accept it as a gift like nothing ever given to you before.

I know your journey and my journey may be completely different, but if you'll practice gratitude and watch for all the sweet kisses from heaven like I did yesterday when I saw those yellow roses, you, too, will see beauty in the flowers and the blooming trees, you'll laugh with children, you'll start being a light to others and you might even dance in the rain. It's been raining a lot lately, so why not put on those dancing shoes -- and DANCE?

Psalm 30:11-12 "You have turned my mourning into dancing. You took off my sackcloth and clothed me with a garment of joy, so that I may sing praise to You, and not remain silent. Lord, my God, I will give You thanks forever."

Count It All Joy!

Ever seen a baby that was laughing and so full of joy, that you were just magnetically drawn to him / her? You may have remarked, "What a joyful baby!" Of course they are, they have no worries, no concerns, all their needs are met, and they just live in their own world of comfort and pleasure.

So do you exude joy so much that people are drawn to you? Joy is NOT happiness. Happiness is typically what we receive or see in the world around us -- what's going on outside us -- when skies are blue and birds are singing and bills are paid and relationships are fine and we're all healthy and strong. But, JOY comes from deep within, and we have it in spite of gray skies and tough circumstances.

James 1:2 says: "My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into various trials....", REALLY? Count the trials for joy??? As we mentally shift from the “woe is me syndrome” into the “count it all as joy mentality,” then our inner joy will be released from the inside to the outside. Our actions will mimic our thoughts.

Psalms 28:7 says: "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for JOY, and with my song, I praise Him."

Yes, like that sweet baby, knowing that our God IS our strength, we can trust in Him, and our hearts will leap for joy and our outside will radiate what's on the inside. After all, we know our Father has it ALL under control. Indeed, we can be JOY-FULL and FULL of JOY!!!!

STOP.....and Smell the Roses!!!

Yesterday, I stopped by a garden center to check out some trees for my yard. The aroma of the Spring flowers was overwheming when I walked in! Immediately, I thought "I need to get some flowers!" Those fragrant, fresh smells almost led me astray because the nursery rep told me, for Tulsa, it's still too early to plant -- another freeze could play havoc on those little plantings. But I did enjoy the moments and sure wanted to linger there, but just too much to do -- I just had to go. Then, I realized that sometimes I get so wrapped up in my day-to-day activities that I don't take time to even notice the sweet smells around me -- literally, not taking "time to smell the roses". Could it be that we're not enjoying our life journey like we should? Are the details of life -- the finances or taxes, work, family, health, and even Facebook or emails distracting us? Then it is time to "stop and smell the roses"!!

Life really is so short -- the sweet photo here are Larry & Staci's two children, Alexia and Payton, 10 YEARS ago. I think....where did the time go? Isn't it best to be savoring the moments the best we can, while we can. Taking the time to enjoy their sweet smiling faces or listening to their silly laughter, or enjoying the upbeat music that just makes us want to do a little dance, really savoring the food we're eating, or noticing and smelling the fragrance of Spring! When we enjoy the little things, we’ll begin to experience joy and happiness that will make our life journey absolutely so worthwhile! So often, when I'm not distracted by so many day-to-day routines, I just love to sit quietly and reflect on the many blessings of my life -- that is the best way to "stop and smell the roses". If we don't stop and smell them today, before we know it, the roses will have wilted and withered and be gone. Okay....I'm getting off Facebook for a while -- and I'm going to find some roses to smell!!!