This year has been particularly productive with respect to the work of growing, changing, and re-engaging with life. I am extremely grateful for all my friends for their love, support, and tolerance through this time in my life. James, Rocky, Chris, Bob, Tommy, Wayne, Cathy, and Tim have all been amazing friends and have given me a shoulder to cry on, a hand to hold, loving hugs, calls, notes, in short they have shared their lives with me and modeled for me life both in community and in continuity. I find myself especially grateful to James and Rocky for getting me not only out of the house but also out of the country twice this year. The trips to Puerto Vallarta and to DC were warm and healing on multiple levels. It was also on the first of these trips that I met Steve and realized that there are other people out there – however difficult to find – that I can really click with. And just as love for one’s mother does not diminish the quantity nor quality of love one can have for one’s father – Should I find a special person with whom I wish to share this next segment of my life it will in no way diminish what David and I shared when he was alive.
Life is full of promise at the end of 2009 and the dawning of 2010 and the new decade. Life has been full of promise every day that has passed these past three years regardless of my openness to it. Today I particularly identify with the Psalm of Praise that is part of our lectionary reading as well as the Colossians passage. It is so much easier to be open to the blessing and opportunity of life when we harbor a song of praise within us – this also makes it much easier to choose to share what we have with others.
Psalm 148
148:1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights!The Colossians passage does such a good job of summarizing the charge to us as God’s hands here on the earth:
148:2 Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host!
148:3 Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars!
148:4 Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
148:5 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created.
148:6 He established them forever and ever; he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.
148:7 Praise the LORD from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps,
148:8 fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command!
148:9 Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!
148:10 Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds!
148:11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!
148:12 Young men and women alike, old and young together!
148:13 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven.
148:14 He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his faithful, for the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the LORD!
Colossians 3:12-17
3:12 As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
3:13 Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
3:14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.
3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.
3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
At the dawn of this new decade I hope for all of us openness to the blessings that life presents to us every day – and that those blessings manifest a Joy that pervades even the difficult times. Each day is a day to cherish the gifts of life – even in the difficult times.
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