Petals of Friendship

Lung cancer.  That was Tony’s diagnosis.  For Tony, this was just one small story on his journey.  He has many stories that reveal God’s faithfulness in ways impossible to explain on a human or earthly level.  On this leg of his journey, the lung cancer was just a minor detail. Tony already took action by placing his trust in God’s hands.  He had faithful believers holding him up in prayer and from one unlikely circumstance to another, the way was made for Tony to receive treatment for his cancer at Mayo Clinic.  That in itself was not too extraordinary.  What was extraordinary was how the timing of his treatment hurdled over the usual timeline for cases like his. Through this “unusual” timing, Tony was able to receive attention and care for his cancer.  Part of his treatment was a special type of radiation that made him feel quite afraid.   Even though there were doctors in the room, he felt alone.   As he lay still in the machine that would administer his treatment,

  “God is not a technician.   God is an Artist.     This is the God who made you.     The same God who lives inside you.     He comes into us, then comes out of us, in a million little ways.”       Emily Freeman "A Million Little Ways" For me, one of the little ways is through collage.   In my class this weekend, I listened, tried to retain (big challenge for this messy mind of mine) and then apply.   One thing was certain, when I thought too much about what I wanted to create, I became stuck.   I had to stop and release that urge to strive.   Strive for what?  Perfection, inability to commit?  A little of both.    Thankfully, I caught myself and decided to just go for it and slap a piece of collage paper on my canvas.   That wasn’t so bad.   Now I was able to exhale.   Once I did that, my heart was stirred and I was able to move forward with anticipation.   What a process!   It sounds painful, but really it is growth, which is good.    We wor

W inter is being stubborn.  Just a few weeks ago, spring teased us and we were happy and hooked.   On this one particular day, driving in to work, I said a few simple prayers, and decided to push back the cold with some color. I’m not usually one to splash on lipstick, but out came a tube from my purse.  It was practically new because most of the time, the color sticks to my teeth rather than my lips.  There must be a video on how to apply it properly, don’t you think?  I’m not a loyal user, but this dreary morning, it was my secret weapon.  I needed a lift. So when I walked into the office, I didn’t say good morning.  Instead, I said, “Get your lipstick on, girls!”  We had a good laugh as we complained about the cold and wondered how much longer we’d be tortured by the cold.  We needed to inject some color into the day.  It was a great way to battle the weather. Do you ever get up with awareness that there’s a remnant of "winter" trying to sneak in your day?

Another day of snow.  The amount we'd been getting was absurd.  But this one particular day, there was an amazing snowfall.  Even though I really, really wanted to complain, I just couldn't.  It was way to beautiful.  As I drove to work, I looked at the trees along my route.  Each covered perfectly with a velvety ribbon of white.  Just amazing.  How could I possibly complain?  So as I drove, I took it all in.  Any other day, maybe the snow would not have received such a welcome, but this day, it did.  I decided to celebrate instead of complain.  So what happened?  Well, my disposition changed.  Since then, I focused on a simple prayer.  Lord, change me.  Three little words.  Because when it comes down to it, the driver for my mood is my attitude, my perspective, my thinking...all of it.  Learning and saying these three little words was a huge graduation for me.  It gave me a sense of peace and relief.  That is, until I learned a new way to pray just last week.  During a sm