Making Me Smile (July 30 Edition)

Time for another edition of things that I'm thankful for (things that are making me smile):

• quiet moments of deep peace and a knowing of the nearness of Jesus
• new shoes
• memory of some comments made to me recently that are very humorous to me, though the people who've made them couldn't have realized how humorous they are
• all the little secret things that remind me of dear friends, deep moments, and spur me to pray
• plans to eat Mexican food at a great restaurant for dinner tonight with a friend
• a forthcoming visit to a bookstore - I love bookstores. And books. Which can be found in abundance in bookstores.
• a quiet heart
• an unexpectedly low grocery bill last night - apparently if you do meal planning and a very accurate list, it costs you significantly less money when you grocery shop.
• conversations with friends near and far
• knowing I am loved
• flip-flop tan lines on my feet
• Hershey's Kisses with Almond
• an oil burner for my bedroom that lets me make the room smell fantastic
• another work day nearly ended.

See ya later!

Under the Chisel

Read this quote on Hope's blog. It challenged me again today.

What comes...

I'm sitting here, sipping tea, and wondering what will come... what this day will bring... I feel particularly uncertain for a variety of reasons today... nothing large and spectacular, just dozens of small things converging to create a wondering, a slight dis-ease...

There were quiet moments of deep beauty last night. Much needed after a fit of panic spurred by changing plans and events. A meeting with Jesus, and a quieted, cleansed and restful heart.

This morning I'm reminding myself of those moments. Of how needed they were. Of the fact that, for an hour or two Jesus drew tangibly near, not in that "he's always with me" sort of way, but in that "he holds me intimately" kind of way.

So I'm sitting here, sipping tea and trying to rest in the peace gleaned in those moments. I'm waiting for what comes...

Read this - Ripped Open

I loved this post on Hope's blog, particularly the last couple of paragraphs, which I've quoted below for you. They reminded me of some deep and ongoing conversations I've had with the Lord and with a dear friend these last several months.

She writes:

One thing I especially appreciate about this priest is his emphasis on a heart relationship with Christ. He often talks about the emptiness of praying, attending Mass, receiving the Sacraments without those things coming out of a heart relationship.

Today, as he was emphasizing that point, I gazed at a statue of the Sacred Heart Of Jesus. Often when I look on it I remember a day when I felt like Jesus told me he wanted my heart open, exposed and touching his. It wasn't a pleasant image - more like my chest had been ripped open and Jesus then grabbed me by the front of my shirt and pulled me close so his exposed heart could mingle with mine. I don't exactly know how the cause and effect of that translates into daily life, but I continue to find that image a comfort, a challenge and something to ponder every time I gaze upon His face.

This Caught Me Today...

I received the following lines from Henri Nouwen in my usual daily email this morning. the second paragraph particularly caught my attention. "The ups and downs of our spiritual lives depend on our obedience - that is, our attentive listening - to the movements of the Spirit of God within us." I've been on a journey of learning the deep truth of these words in this last season. It is not a simple, nor an easy or painless lesson to learn. And yet, I am slowly beginning to grasp the truths contained within it. I pray that that continues.

The Dynamics of the Spiritual Life

Our emotional lives and our spiritual lives have different dynamics. The ups and downs of our emotional life depend a great deal on our past or present surroundings. We are happy, sad, angry, bored, excited, depressed, loving, caring, hateful, or vengeful because of what happened long ago or what is happening now.

The ups and downs of our spiritual lives depend on our obedience - that is, our attentive listening - to the movements of the Spirit of God within us. Without this listening our spiritual life eventually becomes subject to the windswept waves of our emotions.