Living in the Present

This weekend in Canada it is Thanksgiving.   A time to give thanks for the abundance in our lives.    For me, it is a time of reflection, and being more aware of how fast our time passes in this life.    Sometimes we get drawn into the voices that tell us, life feels difficult, life can be hard… Yes this is true, sometimes it can be that way.  But you have the power to choose and focus on the things that make you smile.  This is the only thing we have the power to do –  to choose our response/focus.

May you be blessed, and may you see abundance in your life.   My thankfuls for today are having abundance in love in my life, and seeing the love in every moment, this is what I am choosing to embrace.

~ Ness

Time does not Wait…

by Vanessa Chesters

Her wish for them is they will live out their dreams, And that they dream big.

That their lives are not filled with “Things”…

That they embrace everything that life brings.

That they soar through life and learn to spread their wings.

Time does not wait…

She sits in her chair and reminisces of time that has since passed,

She can’t go back and wishes that those moments would last…

Life is so very short and oh so sweet. There are so many great memories.

Time does not wait…

She has to hold back, she wants them to reach for the sky…

She prays that they will have faith and the courage to soar and fly.

It is never to late.

Remember…Time does not wait…

The sun shines on her face.

Love and laughter surround her.

She needs to remove herself from the race,

And quickly change the moments that are within her embrace.

Time does not wait…

Tempted once again by riches or “things”,

She turns her focus inward anticipating what life brings.

She wakes up and believes,

Life is happening as it was meant to be.

She has everything she needs.

Time does not wait…

Through the years she has watched them grow,

She has loved them more than they will ever know.

She hopes in some small way,

She has passed on the lessons she learned throughout her days.

She knows oh too well that time does not wait…

Chasing Rainbows

I remember as a little girl, I would look up at the sky after the rain, and search for the rainbow…..   I would inhale the freshness in the air, and look up for the vibrancy, glow, and sunshine after the rain.

Years later, I look for the same rainbow after the rain and have hope.   Sometimes it feels like the storms of this life take our breath away, but I  choose to chase the sun.

There is always sunshine after the rain………

Life is still full of surprise, wonder, and warmth.  I am thankful for the places I have been, and looking forward to the places I will go.

Today, where you are, remind yourself of those moments that bring you the rainbow after the rain.

My stunning reminders are:

1) The deep red warmth of love for my 3 boys in my house, family and friends.

2) The orange glow that comes from a flicker in a candle, revealing to me there is always hope.

3) The bright yellow sunlight that shows me there is always light in this life, even when you are feeling heavy.

4) The color of green, reveals to me that there is always opportunity to grow in this life.  Growth can come from all of our experiences – the good, the bad and the ugly.

5) Blue, the color of the sky, the ocean, endless – full of beauty.  There are endless opportunities in this life if you are open to them.

6) The color of deep purple,  the deepness of learning that come from this life, the deepness of our relationships with others, and our Maker.

These are all stunning reminders of what this life means to me.   This life is not meant to be wasted, and I chose to chase the rainbows in this life.

Take a moment, breathe in deeply the fresh scent of air, look to the sky for the endless possibilities.    What does your rainbow after the rain look like?

May you be blessed my friend,

Ness

What do you treasure?

Matthew 6:21, “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” (NLT)

She sat there thinking, I can’t believe how things can change so quickly.  She treasured the moments with her grandma and grandpa so much.   Suddenly in less than 6 months both were gone before her eyes.   Then she thought about the moments that became her treasures.

The playful moments, the smiles and the adoration for her grandpa.   The moment when she ran him off the road while they were biking, a moment that would be treasured forever.  The times where her grandma would french braid her hair, she wore her locks with pride.

There were moments when she felt so busy, but always tried to make sure that they felt special.   They were her treasures.

Life can take us by surprise, in a moment things can change or shift.  Change is good, and at times can be challenging.   Time flies by in a blink of an eye.  I remember my mom saying to me, “life speeds up the older you get”.  As a young teenager, I laughed at the comment as it seemed to me that time was not moving fast enough.

We should consider how we spend our time.   Do we spend our time flying by the seat of our pants, or do we pause to take in the fresh scent of this wonderful life of ours?

My treasure is family and love for all.

The treasure comes in all different kinds of gems and gold.   Each item is unique on its own, offering something new.  Each time I take the time to slowly polish each gem it begins to sparkles in the light.

I choose to open that treasure chest every day, curious and with wonder.

I choose to be open to what God wants for me.  Relationships are the most important investments in this life.

Sometimes the lines get blurred between what is important and what is less than important.

In the moments where I can’t see my direction completely I pause and let go so God can lead me.

I choose to invest in the treasure that is right at my fingertips and not get caught up in the “stuff” of this life.

I ask you friend, what do you treasure?

People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. (NIV, 1 Timothy 6:9-11)

 

Dear Lord God, I thank-you for the ones I love.  I pray that you will continue to lead me in the priorities in this life.  Your priorities are mine.  I pray that I can show my children how to prioritize through you.   I pray for this in Jesus Name Amen