Contentment

I've been thinking a lot about contentment lately. I had a lovely lunch time chat about this subject with my friend Charlotte yesterday as we sat out in the sun by the train tracks behind her work. We decided that we need to really pray for the grace to live joyfully in the place where we are called to be right now! The single people want to be married and the married people miss their "freedom" -- the girls with the stick straight hair (like me!) want to have a beautiful head of ringlets and the curly tops wish they had my hair --- to use an age old cliche, the grass is always greener on the other side. Now, I'm not saying that many people don't find themselves in very challenging situations that need to be addressed and alleviated. I'm not advocating being passive in your life, but what I am saying is that we all could use a large dose of thankfulness. There has been this video going around about this man who was born without arms and legs yet is filled with joy and the love of Christ. He has a powerful ministry that includes working to stop child sex trafficking (http://lifewithoutlimbs.org/). I've met people myself who find themselves in gut wrenching physical and emotional pain, yet are more positive than everyone else for whom the going is easy. All that to say, I'm making a stand to be passionately THANKFUL!! And honestly, that can't happen when we have our eyes on ourselves all the time. I need to change the focus.
I'm vowing today to not miss the beauty of today... to take pleasure in the details and the "mundane"...to notice the smell of the air as i walk to my car...to notice the crocuses persistently pushing their way through the hard ground....to look into someone's eyes and honestly listen to them...to enjoy that warm shower...I just forget so fast. In an hour I will probably find myself wistfully wishing for some part of my life to be different. But for right now, I'm choosing to be content and to notice the little details.
Here are some of those little details that can be so easily missed....

The miracle of a bud







The beauty of a face..... I love faces. :)










Nature's artwork....






And most of all....people who love you!


Thanks mom and dad....:)