It's been forever since I've posted anything, and any of you that have read my previous few posts probably know I'm a huge picture taker. I love to tell stories with my photos, but my camera lens has recently gone bad, and I'm waiting anxiously to see if Santa is bringing me a new one for Christmas this year. :)
With the marketing of our Real Farm Foods Premium Meats, I compose and send out an email newsletter each week. Along with my camera lens, our main computer's operating system went out last week, so I've lost access to all my previous emails and my photos stored on that computer while it's being worked on.
Anyhow, without whining anymore, I was not in the mood to even do anything with the newsletter today. Blame it on the weather; it's been raining and cloudy most of the day. Blame it on me being female; that one should be obvious. Blame it on Monday, I just didn't want to sit down and write. But I did. And below is a tweaked version of what I put in our newsletter this week. Once I was finished, I realized it was a great blog. Even without the photos.
It's a dreary day here as I write this, not really in the mood to do anything but curl up with Taylor's cat and take a nap or get lost in the twinkling of the lights on the Christmas tree. And then I think of a friend's post on Facebook yesterday. She asked, "How do you find joy in life?" My comment was: "Stop. Look. Listen." One of those right from the gut remarks. You know, when you just talk (or type) before thinking.
Funny how we preach right to ourselves before we even realize we need preaching to.
I've been bummed since I learned this morning of a wonderful man's passing last night. He was always cheerful and always had a good story to tell, a wonderful Christian man well known in the community. Though he has been fighting health issues for a time, I am heartbroken for his loving wife, even more so that it is now just 6 days prior to Christmas. After all, this is supposed to be joyous season.
Some of you may not celebrate the holidays as we do, and it makes no difference what time of year it is when we lose a loved one, the hurt and loneliness abound. But it makes me wonder about my friend's post yesterday. Where's the joy now?
I still think my answer, railroad-y as it may be, is the right answer. Whether in the midst of utter happiness or complete depression, I believe it is so important for us to stop and wait on God. I'm not sure this can be done in the middle of a shopping mall or any other place or time which demands your preoccupation. I'm blessed that I am able to go for miles in any direction on our property and just sit in the middle of a field of sheep, a paddock of cows or the woods full of pigs and just stop and get away from my busyness. And wait. On God.
One of my favorite things to do is to go out to the sheep flock and find my girl, Holly. Holly is our one-eyed Great Pyrenees sheep dog. I love to lay out in the field with Holly, and soak everything in. The soft sounds of the sheep grazing, the baas of the little ones who've lost sight of their mother, a passing bird overhead or a chattering squirrel nearby. These are the things it's hard to see unless we stop.
Once we stop, we have the ability to look. And see. There is a difference. I think we look at things everyday. But do we really see what we are looking at? I find a great realization comes over me when I am truly seeing things. I am often filled with the reality of how small I truly am in this great big universe. Yet God sees me. Once we can see, we can look at all of God's creation in awe and wonder. Maybe similar to what the shepherds saw in that beautiful star over Bethlehem. Awe and wonder. Are we seeing God?
And with looking, comes listening. Notice I've not said anything about talking, singing, yelling, whispering. I believe it's in these quiet times of waiting on God that we actually are able to hear Him. He speaks to us through all of His creation. The cry of an eagle, the bubbling spring, the soft rain falling out my window. Reminds me of the old saying about God gave me two ears and one mouth for a reason. I think He also gave us two eyes for a reason. We need to take the time, especially in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, to stop. And look. And listen.
May you all have peace, His peace, this Christmas. | 
