Happy Mother’s Day to you. I pray your day is peaceful and blessed. Here in the U.S., we celebrate this day as a family. Where is the heart of a family? Many of us say our family’s heart is Mom. But what is in a mother’s heart?
There was a bumper sticker back in the 70s and 80s declaring “God is my Co-pilot!” Maybe there are a few antique cars that still have it out there. Maybe you’ve seen it yourself under years of road dust. I liked seeing others with faith enough to declare it. The phrase made me feel connected. Recently, two novels I’ve been reading have changed my perspective on this slogan.
Prayer and Promise Jars Ready to be Filled (Photo by Milly Moss)
There is an old idea a friend recently mentioned to me. Creating a prayer box. Prayer jars and boxes were popular as gifts a couple of decades ago. At the time, I made a few for my loved ones. My mom still has hers and mentions it, every once in a while, when it is a blessing to her. It is a blessing to me that something I put together with love and a little faith still blesses.
The calendar in North America states spring starts in a couple of weeks. South Florida, however, has to be different. First, our “winter” is more like spring than winter. It is like Florida got attached to the Continent to add a bit of the sub-tropics to North America. There are few areas of the United States, that reach as far south as Florida juts into the Atlantic Ocean.
Promises are great. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like promises. Especially when a promise works out the way we want. When we receive a promise, we don’t know the result. For us, promises are also hard to keep.
The last couple of weeks, Isaiah has me wondering just when will I ‘grow up?’ It seems growing up is a process. At eighteen I thought, I’m all grown up! Then stepped into the world as an adult. Oh my! I had a lot to learn! At 21, the State decided I was a full adult. Hm… does that mean they thought I’d grown up? If they did, they were wrong. Looking back over five decades, I see how much I have grown up in the last 10, 20 and even 30 years. And… There is so much I haven’t learned. Now I ask myself, “will I ever grow up?”
Attending an event this past weekend, I reconnected with family and friends. We’d lost track of each other over the last several years. It was a sad gathering to celebrate the life of one suddenly taken. In the chatter, we updated each other. It was good to catch up with loved ones who’ve moved away or moved on with life’s growth.
How are things going? Sunday was the coldest day of 2022 in South Florida so far. Don’t laugh. It got to 36 degrees Fahrenheit, then climbed to a high of 59 degrees! Okay… laugh with me. I did cover my plants that night. We lost none except the bloom is off the mango! The great thing about trees is they usually come back in the spring, even in South Florida!
Waking up in 2022 has me looking around to see the lay of the land. The amount of information is overwhelming to my earthly senses. But it has opened my eyes to new things. As I dig to confirm sources and verify information, I found a theme resonating beneath the layers of words. Family First! (Insert Country here) First! People First! Me First!, First, First, First! If I understand correctly, we want to know where to start and what needs to be first. While the people shout a mantra of sorts to focus the leaders, I wonder… Who truly goes first?