Drowning in muck...and Scones!

  Warm weather...soft breeze...peaceful and lilting Jazz tune (Earl Klugh) drifting in through my thoughts and dreams.  Can it get any better than this?  YES!

 How do I know...because this morning's news show told of murder, child abuse, war, lawsuits, and oh yeah- nice weather, "So, have a pleasant day!"  Admittedly, I have been absent from my postings because I have allowed myself to become enmeshed in the tragedies and heaviness of everyday life.  I have walked through this last week with the melancholy weight of the world on my shoulders (and I don't mean the excess fluff derived from my latest carb addiction:  Panera's Strawberries and Cream Scones oooooh la la..  Actually, I have tried to tame this craving~ Day 4 on Weight Watchers and going strong!  Yay yay yay...yes, I know I'm in the honeymoon phase of the ww program so I'm begging for any prayers or positive comments to encourage me- seriously!).
  Anyway...where was I?  Oh yes, scones- no! Weight...I've gained a lot...Weight of the world- yep- me trudging around feeling as though I must somehow fix myself, my kids, my ongoing renovation in and out of the house, the war, the upcoming election, the laundry pile that never goes away, the van that now squeals every time the brakes protest, the friends I haven't been getting back to, the dinner that still needs to be made, the gray that's showing on my right temple (no offense Georgina~ it's probably grown in the last week since I visited your salon...it's coming on at an alarming rate these days:/), and I will add only one more thing to the platter of "Everything going wrong," with a side of "I have no energy (probably from the sugary scones!)," that I carried around like an overworked waitress balancing a huge tray upon my shoulder.  That one thing is my distorted priorities.  "Wooop.. there, I hefted it up onto the tray".  Just like you, I've hunched over with eyes squeezed shut waiting for the inevitable CRAAASH...waaiting...still waiting...huh, nothin'.

  Wait a minute, what's that? A soft breeze?  Really?  Aaah yes, it feels so good, gently lifting my hair away from my face- almost a caress.  Let me throw some coffee down my throat to give me the clarity I need to make sure there's no thunderous clattering about to fall around me...No, hmmm, just a sunbeam filtering in through the open window drawing my eyes to the tree full of birds singing their hearts out across the street.  Enter in the soft Jazz music and I feel like I'm floating on a cloud of fresh perspective.  And what's this?  A plate of egg whites mixed with sauteed onions and fat free American cheese with half of a Panera Strawberries and cream scone...like Heaven on Earth- sort of- that soft breeze cooled the eggs while the birds sang to me- but I can deal with that while I enjoy my scone- in moderation. 

  I get it now...I sat down in my "illustrious studio" (I'll explain in a later post:) oh it's swanky!) to write~ but FIRST took the time to just sit.  It was in that moment of stillness that God sent a breeze as an offer to notice the beauty right in front of me.  He then caught my attention with song to lift my heart as He lifted the burdens from my shoulders and reminded me He never intended me to carry them.  "Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28 Ignatius Bible RSV).  I realized that our Creator didn't say "you will never be weary or burdened," but He reminded me to come to Him when I am. This isn't the first time I will make a determination to start my day with Him... but it is with renewed courage and hope that I do so.  My whole outlook on today already feels different. 

  For clarification I will say that music choice and scone flavor are up to your discretion...but Jazz is smooth and strawberries and cream rock...just sayin'.