I love new toys!  This morning I played with the photo above.  A beautiful local park ruined by the blurry path.  For some of us it just takes time to learn new technology, but I will get it right one day.  Actually this photo inspired me to research the word blur.  As a noun it means anything indistinct.  As a verb it means to make or become indistinct in shape etc….  Growing up I will never forget a night my Mom was driving us to our kids club in the fog.  At one point the fog was so dense she just stopped the car.  You couldn’t see even an inch!  It was as if we had been swallowed by Karo Syrup!  We sat there for over an hour before glimpses of our surroundings slowly reappeared.  In this case the blur was a noun- everything was indistinct!  Oh wait- it was also a verb- the weather caused the fog which blurred our vision.  I have been thinking about some things in my life that are quite blurry.  My first deduction was that those things were nouns- things I can’t change and simply have to maneuver around for the rest of my life.  Today while playing with my new toy I realized some of them are verbs.  I imagined a child drawing a picture and then deciding they didn’t like it so they take the crayon and scribble it out. I have some things I don’t want to look at so I’ve taken my personal crayon and blurred them out on purpose.  That made my blurs a verb- I am responsible for making them blurry to avoid the confrontation!  Just like a child I’ve walked away from the picture I was drawing and found something else to do- unwilling to try again.

 

The overweight monster is by far the most blinding challenge for me personally.  I have succeeded and failed so many times it is a joke to try again.  I do not want your advice on how to do it!  People bring me articles- I’ve even gotten anonymous letters and emails with unsolicited steps on how to save myself from my body! At this moment what I really don’t want is to author the next bestseller on how I lost 100 pounds!  Can you feel this uncharacteristic frustration- even some anger scribbling out this problem in my life???   Well all this probably means I will be changing my lifestyle of eating tomorrow, but there is so much more to me than this and that is what I want you to see.  Truth be known I believe that is the cry of every person’s heart- please see me for who I really am- look for the good parts rather than just glancing past me because all that is visible to you is the blur that is hiding the real me. Love is the most effective lens cleaner I know.  May you experience love today………..

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid,

but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”

 II Timothy 1:7

Today I am doing homework writing this blog.  As part of a Bible study group I was asked to share this verse with at least one person.  Odds are one person will read this today!  Planet Carol is not a “preaching” blog by any means.  It is however an honest sharing of my journey which definitely at it’s core is my search to understand and personally relate to God as I orbit often sputtering nevertheless surviving!  “Is God Good?” has been argued theologically since the creation of man.  I love the movie Yentel and how it gives us a glimpse into the rabbi’s study of scripture.  Their discussions though often difficult to understand are in and of themselves intriguing as their minds search all the facts.  Mom always said if you learned something it was a good day.

Today my life touches both health and sickness; prosperity and empty bank account; joy and sadness; personal needs and the ability to help another; peace and stress; motivation and laziness- and on and on I could go.  My husband might say I am a mess.  On the other hand perhaps I am normal.  I am sure I am not the best I can be, yet I am just as sure  that I am far from the worst I could be and that my friend I account for wholly as the grace of God! This bird in my front yard compelled me to get my camera and photograph the simple yet miraculous moments I am a part of every day.  It is not my purpose to open a forum of discussion so without further commentary I will simply do my homework and pray it blesses you………

For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the LORD bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless. Psalm 84:11 NIV

For the past two weeks it has been a joy to have my newest grandson four and a half months old present in my home.  His mother having grown up here was constantly surrounded by family and friends.  It has been like an unending festival in our home with the volume turned all the way up! Today the sweet boy and Mom flew home to Daddy in Brooklyn and my rocking chair is missing the bundle I had gotten used to holding every morning!  I would like to take all the credit for his contentment as all grandmas are prone to do- but I know his adoring Mommy gets first billing and many others care deeply for this boy!

 

An amazing similarity of the very young and the elderly is the ability to sleep in the midst of noise and activity.  My grandson’s routine went on as usual in spite of the change in environment.  He ate, played, was bathed and changed, slept and then started the cycle once more.  For me it is never like that.  My routine is interrupted by the slightest distraction.  I eat too much or forget to eat.  I stay awake till it hurts so I don’t miss anything!  I might wear the same pants 3 days in a row.  Depending on the moment I may actually curl my hair- though more often just toss it up so as to not forfeit seeing him roll over just to look good!

 

There are many reasons people have trouble sleeping and refreshing themselves- usually it is not like this moment of not wanting to miss out on the fun.  Loneliness, sickness, worry and much more rob millions of sleep every day.  Reviewing a few of the hundred’s of photos I’ve taken I choose to share these of sleep.  We all remain a child to someone- and to some degree all of our lives need some intervention in orchestrating our schedules so that we can rest.  Here are a few promises God gave to us all that I have found to guide me into my own place of peaceful, innocent, comforting sleep:

“In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD,
make me dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:8

 “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie

down, your sleep will be sweet.  Proverbs 3:24

“I lie down and sleep; I wake again,

because the LORD sustains me.”  Psalm 3:5

  The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you,

      and I will give you rest.”  Exodus 33:14

Sweet dreams to all my readers…………….