Dear Friends,
I usually try to take Monday’s off for a bit of Sabbath time. All too often something comes up that I need to attend to and I don’t get the benefit of enjoying a full day of relaxation. Admittedly, some days it’s because of my personal control issues (or lack thereof); other times it’s legitimate things that are just part of ministry.
This past Monday was one of those wonderful days of complete joy and relaxation with lots of family: Our daughter, Brittany, is in town for a few days; our son, Marshall, lives with us while he finishes at FSU; and Beth’s old brother, Denis, (sorry, Denis, I mean ‘oldest’ brother) and his wife Thelma are in town. We slept in late (except for our neighbor’s dog who gives us a wake-up bark at 6:30AM EVERY SINGLE MORNING!!), had a light brunch, and went for a nice long walk on an absolutely beautiful day on the Lafayette trail.
Monday was one of the warmest days we’ve had here in Tallahassee in a long time. As we hiked along the trail the sun was shining, there was a light breeze blowing, and everywhere you looked you saw the beauty of Spring starting to burst in to bloom. It was one of those days you can only describe as ‘Glorious’!
About halfway into our hike, a young couple came walking by from the other direction. The young man said something like “I hope you see more than we saw…there’s nothing over there.”
WHAT?? On this magnificent, sun-shiny day, there was nothing you saw?? We could hardly pass a tree without seeing something beautiful. I guess it’s true you only see what you’re looking for. Wayne Dyer said it like this: “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.”
Isn’t that true? Each one of us construct how we will choose to see the world…indeed see the day…see the moment. In other words, we see what we expect to see.
An oft-quoted story about Pablo Picasso is about the time he was hanging around an exhibition of his paintings in Paris. He was approached by a man who asked Picasso why he didn’t paint people the way they look. “Well, how do they look?” asked Picasso. The man took a photograph of his wife from his wallet and handed it over. Picasso looked at the picture; then handing it back, said, “She is awfully small isn’t she. And flat too.” We have to accept the fact that much of what seems real to us is governed by our own perceptions.
A new day is ahead for you…what are you going to see? Look for the good (it’s all around you)…and praise it!
On this page are a few of the beautiful things I saw on Monday.
You are loved,
Wayne