A Bird Grasping A Thin Branch

“A bird grasping a thin branch” reminds me of that beautiful song:
Be like a bird, who, halting in her flight
On a limb too slight, feels it give way beneath her;
Yet sings, sings, knowing she has wings;
Yet sings, sings, knowing she has wings.

This is a lovely metaphor for a life that is full of Grace. There are difficult times, but a person who feels upheld and supported by Divine Presence need never be afraid.

This has been true a million times in my life. Most of my life the branches I have perched upon have been slim to downright twiggy. How I have made it thus far always seems like miracle after miracle to me, as those thin branches buckled and broke... every time there was a way out, a person who came to help, a solution.

Over time I have learned not to panic when I feel the branch is about to go. Singing is good, dancing too, and writing. Sometimes flight is the answer.

When I look back at my life I remind myself that in all these years I have never missed a meal, never had to go a night without a bed, or a roof over my head. When I have been in despair friends have shown up, or when they didn’t, I found other ways to cope.

My feeling at this point is that I am going to make it. All futures are uncertain because they haven’t happened yet. But as each moment unfolds I will be here at the center singing and trusting that my thin branch will hold. And should the branch fail, trusting that my wings will be sufficient to carry me skyward once again.


I stumbled across this last night and I loved it so much. I have been on thin branches many times in my life and it can be such a scary feeling. I know my friends and family have felt burdened for me ... watching me there. Time after time. Because inevitably, the branch does eventually break. I do fall. However, I have learned that my wings are strong and I always find the sky.

The Old North State

I read this on the plane yesterday returning to Colorado ... it was a Christmas Gift from Mamaw Cable :) A story about Uncle Elisha Rice ... "a real man of God". It made me smile... thought I would share.


PREFACE
If you are privileged to become acquainted with the Southern mountaineers, you will find them witty, musical, leisurely; innately religious; independent and liberty-loving to a fault; hospitable to the point of self-forgetfulness; frugal, yet "free-hearted." Like others of this world's poor, God has "appointed them rich in faith." An infidel is hardly to be found in cove or cabin. They are too courteous to smile if you call their "branch" a brook, their "laurel" rhododendron, their "ivy" laurel, their giant "poplars" tulip trees, the "ground hogs" and "ground squirrels" woodchucks and chipmunks, or their "pokes" bags. They may wonder, but will not correct you if you say the weather clears up instead of "fairs off"; or if you call a "right smart piece" a good way, or say afternoon for "evening".

The Evangel Booklet Series
Elisha Rice
Man of God
Mountaineer
The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago
1941

It was nice to be in Western North Carolina for Christmas this year.

Some things never change.

That's a good thing.

2009

Every beginning starts with another's ending.

Winter

"The snow doesn't give a soft white damn whom it touches."
- E.E. Cummings

Winter. I never really understood that word. It's only taken a few weeks here in Colorado and I have a WHOLE new appreciation for the word "winter". I have driven in several snow storms (scared to death). I have pushed cars out of ditches. I have almost busted my ass (many times). I have skied in -20 degree windchill. I have been stranded at a friend's house for days. I have dug my car out numerous times.

It's funny ... because nobody acts like the snow is a big deal here. I watch the news every morning before getting out of bed and they NEVER even mention if it's snowing outside. Finally, the weather segment will come on and it goes kind of like this ... "Well folks... expect snow today ... highs in the single digits ... back to you Bob." REALLY????? How much snow???? What time will it end????? How about some doppler images?????? How am I supposed to know if I should scramble to the grocery store and buy bread and milk????? :)

ANYWAY ... I love winter. I didn't even know it.

The Secret

It has been passed down through the ages, highly coveted, hidden, lost, stolen, and bought for vast sums of money.


I had dinner with a good friend of mine and she gave me a copy of The Secret. Now, honestly, I am normally not a fan of books that can be added to The Stack of Happy ... Susan loves and collects them ... I won't even read the first page :) BUT I decided to be nice and give this some of my time & energy ... and I have actually gotten something out of this book.

First of all... I thought there was A secret ... but there isn't. This is just a collection of modern-day teachers ideas about the power of positive thinking.

You can see the law of attraction everywhere. You draw everything to yourself. The people, the job, the circumstances, the health, the wealth, the debt, the joy, the car that you drive, the community that you're in. And you've drawn them all to you like a magnet. What you think about you bring about. Your whole life is a manifestation of the thoughts that go on in your head.
- Lisa Nichols, The Secret

I am so blessed. I recognize that more and more each day of my life.

I am so thankful for my friends, my job, my circumstances, my health, my wealth, my joys, my car and my community. Evidently, I am a powerful magnet and I am attracting good things into my life ;) Supposedly, you have 60,000 thoughts a day .... what are you thinking about? What are you attracting?

"One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time."
- Andre Gide (1869 - 1951)

Seasons of the Soul

"Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each."
- Henry David Thoreau

November?

I skipped November. Well... I didn't actually "skip" it ... I just couldn't bring myself to write about it. I had moments where I wanted to write about everything that I was going through - but I honestly didn't think I should attempt to express myself. I was literally just trying to get through one day to the next. I am in a place now that I can write with a clear mind. However, I can't bring myself to blast everything that I've been through on a Blog. It just seems to do it an injustice.

Know this ... I have been face-down in the floor sobbing ... emotionally exhausted ... asking myself if I'm doing the right thing for me.

And know this ... I'm not in the floor anymore. I am on my feet. My tears and anxiety have faded away ... and now there's peace in my heart. I wanted to be in Colorado. I AM IN COLORADO. I risked everything to be here... and I made the right decision. I know that.

The snow has started to fall. That makes me very happy.