60 and Counting

With the help of my wonderful family, I passed a milestone yesterday. I still find it hard to believe I'm now 60 years old. The celebration began on Friday and continued through the weekend so by the time Sunday rolled around I had begun to get used to the idea. I'm not sure why we humans choose to focus on such milestones, but this birthday has been a good time for me to stop and take stock of where I am and where I hope to go in the remaining time that God allows me on this earth.

I spent the weekend seeing vividly before me the many blessings of my life. Sometimes I think God allows us for a brief time to see the world through God's eyes, and this weekend was such a time for me. My sons and their wives and children spent months planning a celebration on my behalf. Their love helped heal the many wounds of this past year of my life.

I enjoyed the party immensely and especially the fact that we were able to be together for a time, a rare occurrence these days. So I watched all of their beautiful faces around the dinner table as my husband gave thanks for my life, and I gave thanks for having each of them in my life. I watched my grand kids play together with their cousins and aunts and uncles. My heart throbbed with the beauty of it all. Whatever happens in my life from now on, I will carry these wonderful memories with me. God is good and this weekend, I remembered to say so and to give thanks.

Grace and Peace,
Donna Sue

You Raise Me Up

This morning's church service took my breath away with the force of the feelings it evoked. Perhaps being tired from a day trip to Houston and back for a conference yesterday left me a bit more open and vulnerable to God's presence. The best part of the service was listening to young Wesleigh singing to us again. He still sounds like an angel, in spite of the trauma of the past year of his life. To see him and to listen to him sing once more meant being witness to a miracle. Last summer, he was in a motorcycle accident that fractured his skull and left him hovering between this world and the next for some time. Even when it became apparent that he would survive, there was no assurance that he would recover any kind of normal life or ever be able to sing again. Many prayed for his recovery for many weeks, and suddenly today, there he stood among us, whole and beautifully singing: "You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains. You raise me up to walk on stormy seas. And I am strong, when I am on your shoulders. You raise me up, to more than I can be." And God's people said, "AMEN!" This is the God I know and love--the God who, not always, but sometimes, returns one of us from death's doorstep to serve God a bit longer in this world. Thanks be to God for the chance to experience this miracle on this day.

Grace and Peace,
Donna Sue