On my way to Cannon Beach, I thought the most unexpected blessing came at O'Hare, when the cashier at Dunkin' Donuts gave me a free extra donut, with a smile. That was until I saw this sunset from the plane...Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Adams and Mt. Rainier. Wow! Such a blessing, and I haven't even seen the beaches yet. Gratitude.
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Saw this posting on FB from a friend. It's so true. Courage is not the absence of fear, but standing firm, taking steps or even just holding on, in the face of fear. May we all have some courage in the face of whatever fears we are looking at in our lives in this moment. People have always told be blessings are everywhere, but I think my sometimes mixed up emotions would get in the way of recognizing them. Now, with God's help, I've learned that no matter what I may be feeling at the moment or during the day, those blessings are always there. My job is to get out of the way and be content with what is going on in my life, as I also always strive to be better and more loving. Today's blessings included: 1. The woman behind the counter at Colectivo (Kate at Alterra), who knows me by name and about my book/mission, told me she saw my flyer on the bulletin board, and rearranged the other flyers so mine could be seen better! Thanks Kate. 2. While I took my mom to the dentist, I asked the receptionist to change the time for my next appointment. To do that, she had to switch another patient with my time, so she called the other patient right then, and she agreed to switch times. 3. Ran into a former colleague of mine from Golda Meir School, as I was having dinner with another colleague from the same school! There are more, but these jump out at me. I hope you are seeing many blessings in your life. Like I mentioned in my first post, I have come to realize, almost forced to realize, that God is guiding me and blessing me beyond my emotions or current circumstances. When I let go of my want to control too many things, and boldly, yet humbly, pray for transformation and hope, I feel God's presence in my life and His blessings are revealed to me more. The journey will go on for the rest of my life. While many God moments are very personal, others are so cool that I feel the need to share them to show just how blessed I have been, and to give hope to anyone who might be going through tough times. Plus, here are a few more photos! Here are just a few of my latest God moments, unexplained any other way. They are too implausible and timely, especially over the last two months after surrendering even more, to just say they are luck. You get one or two occurrences, maybe it's luck. You keep receiving blessings, something else is going on. And remember, there are many, many more that I am not sharing here. 1. After already having three tickets, all in separate spots in the theater, for my school's sold-out Wizard of Oz final performance, I call my sister to see if she was okay with the seats. When I go back to talk to the director prior to the show, a volunteer couple walks in while I am on the phone and starts talking to the director before I finish my phone conversation with my sister. Since I'm a bit hurried, I am sort of annoyed that they get in front of me to talk with the director, until they say they bought tickets and want to donate them back to the director for someone else to use. The director looks at me, as if to say, "Here are two tickets together! Isn't that crazy?" Wow! I was amazed. She exchanged two of my other tickets, and my sister and mom are then able to sit next to each other for the show. 2. Driving to get gas close to my home, I was unable to turn into the gas station so kept driving. About ten blocks later, I decide to turn back and go back to the same gas station. As I'm pumping gas, a man says "'hello" as he goes to pay for his gas. As he returns to his car, he looks at me and says, "Imaginaction!" He was a dad of a girl who was part of the first Imaginaction trip to Olympic National Park. He informs me that his family took a trip out west last summer, based partly on his daughter's eyes being opened to what's out there during her participation in the program. 2a. Another young man from that same first group emails me about a week later to say hi, let me know how he is doing and asking how I am doing. 3. As I am talking with an old friend I haven't seen in many years, I mention Imaginaction and also the box project I do in my class. After I show him some photos of boxes on my phone, he gets very excited and says he has been looking for a program that can help the middle and high school students he works with after school, who could use some inspiration to challenge themselves academically. We talk more, and he thinks the box project is just what he's been looking for. So, we are figuring out a way for me to work with his students! I believe all of these are blessings to help my faith, and I am very grateful. Many years ago, after returning from my first photographic trip to the Pacific Northwest, I was driving down the road in Racine wondering what I could call a small photographic business. Without much thought at all, "God Works!" came to me, as if God himself had put it in my mind. At first, I was hesitant to use the name, but then thought it fit perfectly, since the outdoor photos I wanted to share were works of God, plus I was learning that God really does work for us. I tried my hand at a small photo business, selling a few photos to local magazines and in art fairs. And I used "God Works!" proudly. But then I decided to change careers to be a teacher, and although I have continued to take photos, the idea of the small business kind of faded.
Now, as a way to tell my story, I'm taking "God Works!" out of the shadows, because God has stepped back into my life in a big way. You see, this year has been a year of deep sorrow and confusion for me, but because of God's grace He is changing me and my life. I am becoming more and more dependent on God in my life, and I cannot possibly explain the blessings He is providing me on a daily basis. I hope by bringing "God Works!" back to my website here that readers can experience God's beauty in photographs, but also in words and shared experiences, to feel God's love and also share love among each other. |
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