I had the gift of sharing a retreat with some wonderful women recently. At one point, we sat together, holding torn pieces of colored paper in our hands… pieces that reminded us all of how “broken” and “torn” we all are at so many times in our lives. One by one, we placed our pieces of paper on the cross, each one representing a particular burden we were giving to the Lord.

When we finished, someone glued the pieces onto the cross… and all of a sudden the cross was “whole” again, and our burdens had been lifted.

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you. Take My yolk upon your shoulders and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart. Your souls will find rest, for My yolk is easy and My burden light.”
– Matthew 11:28

So, Lord, I pray we can remember that You are always waiting to help carry our crosses, if we only come to You with our brokenness.

“The Lord is close to the broken-hearted, and those who are crushed in spirit, He saves.”

“You have to believe that buds will grow,
Believe in the grass in days of snow.
That’s the reason a bird can sing,
On his darkest day, he believes in Spring.”
– Douglas Malloch

May, here on Cape Cod… when Spring begins to blossom … when leaves begin to slowly unfurl … when new life begins to sprout from the rich, dark soil… It is a time of anticipation as we wait for Spring to arrive in all its glory.

I am blessed with many hydrangea bushes in my yard. Nothing excites me more than to watch leaves spring forth, knowing that soon, lush blue flowers will follow.

And such is life. We, too, have our seasons of Spring, filled with new beginnings, hope and the promise of good things to come.
All we have to do is trust in the Lord and believe.

“The day the Lord created Hope was probably the same day He created Spring.”
– Bern Williams

With spring here, there are signs of new life everywhere. God’s touch is all around us.

When life gets difficult and we are desperate to see and to feel God’s presence, we want to know that He is with us.

In the busy-ness of our lives, oftentimes we are too distracted to see … to hear… and to feel “God Moments”. In order to do that, we need to be still.

“Be still and know that I am God. I’m right here by your side.”
Psalm 46:10

An anonymous piece speaks to my heart:

“The man whispered, ‘God, speak to me.’
And a meadowlark sang.

But the man did not hear.
So the man yelled, ‘God, speak to me!’
And the thunder rolled across the sky.

But the man did not listen.

The man looked around and said,
‘God, let me see you.’ And a star shined brightly. But the man did not notice.

And the man shouted, ‘God, show me a miracle!’
And, a life was born.
But the man didn’t know.

So, the man cried out in despair,
‘Touch me, God, and let me know you are here.’

Whereupon, God reached down and touched the man.

But the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on.”

Blessings come in so many different ways. May we only take the time to see … to hear… and to feel the “God Moments” all around us.

Several years ago, while in my attic, I found a collection of small plastic charms from my childhood. Whenever my brother, sisters or I were sick, my mother would bring out a round metal cookie tin, filled to the brim with charms. The only time we saw this tin was when we were sick. It always put a huge smile on my face, as I fingered through hundreds of small trinkets.

I divided up the charms that I had and sent them to my siblings. I saved a few for myself and put them in a small
pill container that is now on my bureau, where it reminds me of my childhood and the happy memories that fill my heart.

Jesus wants joy for all of us. What brings joy to you? Is it a memory from childhood or perhaps a more recent memory. Whatever it is, revisit it if it makes your heart smile.

When I look at my charm-filled little pill container, I am constantly reminded of all the joy-filled blessings God has placed in my life.

May you also have joy-filled memories to keep a smile in your heart.

In Your presence is fullness of joy.
Psalm 16:10

I have spoken these things to you that My joy May remain in you and that your joy may be made full.
John 15:11

A few weeks ago, I was walking along the beach and came across a sandcastle… not a beautifully sculpted one … but one that reminded me of a mountain range.

As I stood there looking at it, it suddenly reminded me of my faith journey, with its hills and valleys. Sometimes I’ll be deep in a dark valley. At other times, I’ll feel close to the mountaintop.

Why haven’t I felt closer to the mountaintop more often? Probably because I simply forget to ask Jesus to help me on my journey as often as I should.

Psalm 6:12 says, “When my heart is faint, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Why don’t I remember to do that more often!

My sandcastle of faith is made up of so many things: tears, struggles, hopes, joys, dreams, prayers, blood, sweat, mistakes, wrong turns, pain, suffering. But with Jesus as my rock, He will always see me through the peaks and valleys of my life. As long as I turn to Him, He will never fail me.

I’m going to face many more mountains in my life. But with Jesus by my side, my climb will be made much easier.

Andy Rooney said, “Everyone wants to be on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.”

“I lift my eyes to the mountains. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord.”
– Psalm 121:1-2

Every year at Christmas time, I look forward to seeing the lights and decorations here on Cape Cod.

But there is one decoration I look forward to seeing more than any other…
It’s a yellow boat placed near the road with a little Christmas tree inside. The tree is covered with small buoys. It makes me smile every time I see it.

As I looked at the boat again last night, I realized that I, too, am like a buoy… floating out on the ocean of life. But the most important thing of all to me is that my buoy is held in place by Jesus, who is my anchor, no matter how rough the seas get.

Christmas is such a joyous time as we wait for the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Yet it is also a very difficult time emotionally for many. That’s why we need Jesus to walk by our side.

May I always be grateful that Jesus is my anchor and my hope, no matter what rough waters I may be going through.

Jesus loves me unconditionally and will never abandon me. He is the greatest gift I could ever receive… and he’s mine every day. I am never alone.

So, this Christmas, may I be thankful for the gift of Jesus. He will always hold my life in place, as my little buoy bobs upon the ocean’s waves.

This gift of Jesus belongs to all of us. All we have to do is accept it!

Merry Christmas!

Mightier than the waves of the sea is His love for you.
Ps 93:4

I have watched the beautiful autumn leaves turn to brown … then dance in the sky as they are blown from the outstretched arms of their branches… until one last leaf remains. Cynthia Ryland wrote: “In November the trees are standing, all sticks and bones, without their leaves. How lovely they are, spreading their arms like dancers. They know it is time to be still.” And I think about how we are now entering into perhaps the busiest time of the year… Maybe it’s time for me to take a lesson from nature as December is now upon us… I need to make sure I pause like the trees…. to listen to the Lord… to reflect on my countless blessings… and on the upcoming birth of Jesus Christ. Clyde Watson wrote: “November comes and November goes, With the last red berries And the first white snow. With night coming early And dawn coming late, And ice in the bucket And frost by the gate. The fires burn And the kettles song, And earth sinks to rest, Until next spring.” Psalm 62:5-6 “Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him. He is my rock and my salvation; my fortress, where I will not be shaken.”

What a spectacular season when the trees are all dressed in their finest attire.

I was recently visiting my son in Exeter, NH, when I spotted an absolutely magnificent tree. The colors were so vibrant and breathtaking. I parked my car and walked over to the tree.

While standing beneath the glorious colors, I thought about a recent retreat I was on. At one point on the weekend, we were asked to think about everything negative that we were holding on to… guilt… fears… regrets… past hurts…pains… anything that might be holding us back and keeping us from being who God meant us to be. There was total silence as we dug deep….

We were then asked to write our thoughts down on small pieces of paper and place them on a blank cross to give them to the Lord.

“Cast your burdens on the Lord, and He will sustain you.” Psalm 55:22

As I looked at the beautiful tree again, I remembered a saying I recently heard and will paraphrase: The trees are about to show us how good it is to let things go.
What can I let go of today and give to the Lord?

While on the beach on a beautiful September afternoon, I noticed a young Father working for hours on a sand sculpture.
I waited until he and his family were getting ready to leave the beach before I approached him and asked what he had created.

He said he had made half a lobster because of something his family had done earlier that day.

They had gone to a lobster pound, picked out the biggest lobster in the tank and paid $100 for it. Then they drove to Nauset Beach on Cape Cod and released it into the ocean.

I immediately thought of Loren Eisley’s beautiful parable about the little boy, the old man and hundreds of starfish. When the old man saw the little boy picking up starfish one at a time and throwing them back into the ocean, he said, “Son, don’t you know there are hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference.” The little boy, smiling up at the old man as he picked up another starfish and threw it back into the ocean, said, “I made a difference to that one.”

We are all born with special gifts God gives us… gifts that can make a huge difference in other people’s lives. As Mother Teresa said, “We don’t need to do great things. Just small things with great love.”

As I left the beach that evening, I smiled, thinking about the lesson that young Father taught me.

And I reflected on Taylor Hanson’s words:

“To the world, you may be one person. But to one person, you may be the world.”

It’s been an overwhelmingly busy summer, as most of us who live on Cape Cod come to expect. But this summer was busier than usual, with eight straight weeks of company, including an all-time weekly record of 24 houseguests at the same time! And I think I did remarkably well. In years past, I normally would have hyperventilated and asked to be put on tranquilizers. When I’ve been overwhelmed before, it usually was because I tried to do everything for everyone, including keeping my normally neat home in order. But that never worked. And I wound up being in a tizzy.

This year, I gave everything to the Lord. I focused on how blessed I was to have so many precious family members in my home. I put a chart up on the refrigerator so everyone would know which meals they were responsible for. With 24 houseguests, it was a fabulous system to have. At the end of the summer when everyone left, I stood looking around at my home, that now was a mini-disaster zone. Clothes were left behind, laundry was piled high… but as I looked around, all I saw were the smiling faces everywhere… the children having fun… the hugs… the laughter… the love. God truly had me focus on what really mattered.

Then the Lord clearly directed me to go to the attic and bring down my old Easter basket that I had as a child. As I looked at it, I thought, “I’m going to have an Easter egg hunt.” I’ll look at all the treasures left behind… from odd socks to bathing suits and even a Harry Potter wand .. and I’ll make a game of it. And, along the way, if I find treasures of mine that somehow got misplaced, they will be the golden eggs for my Easter basket. It reminds me of the Resurrection. Just as Jesus died and rose for all of us, so, too, night falls and a new day rises; grain is sown and the Lord helps it rise again. We, too, can rise above life’s overwhelming moments if we lean on Jesus. So, if you’re facing difficult situations that may tend to overwhelm you, try making a trip up to your attic and blowing the dust off your Easter basket. I promise it may help you more than you think.