Petals of Friendship

  Your story, God’s story The past, present and future…all parts of our story. I am intrigued by history, especially my family’s history. The people, where they lived, the origins of their stories. Knowing my roots and where I came from is not only a part of their stories, but my story. God’s story. While I may not always pay attention, God has been weaving a unique story through the generations of my family. I’ve tried to capture those stories, mostly in small bits and pieces through the memories of my mother and father. The good, the bad, and the ugly parts of it have been shared. No one has a perfect story, and I think we’d rather forget about the bad and the ugly parts, but we have to wonder, why were those unwanted parts written in? We can stay stuck in those past parts, but God offers something better. Throughout the Bible, we find stories filled with the reality of hard things. Highs and lows are scattered throughout the lives of the people yet, in those stories, God shows u...

  Our hidden parts... A friend recently invited me to a new Bible study. I went back and forth in my mind about attending it. I had many reasons to say no. My biggest reason was that I didn’t know anyone except my friend, and the thought of meeting new people gave me a heavy feeling. By heavy I don’t mean anxious, it was more of a wondering if I would fit in or have anything worthy to contribute. For an introvert, these thoughts form familiar, personal hurdles that I must approach with full velocity. Or not. As I chose to attend, I simply hoped to make the jump and land safely. My “normal” go-to is keep to myself. Until I get to know someone, I stay hidden. And this hiding has become something to ponder lately. Recently, I discovered that the part of me that I keep hidden really should not remain that way. And I discovered this lesson in my garden. I relish the blooming of the peonies in my backyard each spring. They are one of my favorite flowers and I can’t wait for them to open ...

"It takes time and practice to learn to listen. And it takes a caring heart. A fourth-grade teacher once asked her class, "What is listening?" After a few moments of silence, one little girl raised her hand. "Listening," she said, "is wanting to hear." Lord, make us a people who want to hear." Janet Dunn, Desiring God. I love learning and I admit that I am somewhat of a self-help junkie. A friend once said to me, "You have to start reading something fun!" It didn't sound interesting, but she was right. This same friend is a great listener. When I sounded off about trouble in my heart about my relationship with my mom, she offered kind and loving advice. What was that advice? That I needed to seek the help of a counselor. Inside, I rolled my eyes. Really? Again? I've gone this route before, aren't I done? But I went forward with her advice.  I connected with a counselor, a caring soul, a beautiful listener. With her by my s...