Back in the early spring, I spied a flower in my compost pile. It was an anemone. They grow from something called corms which look like a tiny octopus. When I decided to plant them a couple of years ago, I took great care in following directions to make them sprout. I soaked them in water overnight and planted them in good rich soil. I bought frost cloth to cover them when the temps dipped below freezing.

It had been a long hard winter for me resulting from deep grief. I hadn’t posted anything on social media in months, but when that anemone caught my eye, in the middle of all of the thrown away material, I was mesmerized. I hadn’t done anything to protect it or encourage it’s growth. I must have actually pulled it up the summer before when it got too hot for them to bloom and tossed it in the compost pile.

All of the literature said they wouldn’t bloom the next year, but it turns out that God is not confined by conventional wisdom.

I felt led to post it, but I found myself not writing a long reflection to post as I would have in the past, but instead a photo with a caption, that read, “And then sometimes when you least expect it, new life and fresh hope appear.”

I hoped that the few words of encouragement that I felt God speaking to me would encourage someone else who needed to read them.

At the time, it was all I had to give.

A few days later, James, an old friend from middle school who grew up to be a pastor, messaged me on Facebook. He told me that the flower might make a good “Graceful Gaines,” devotion. He basically went on to say that people are in desperate need of encouragement these days. I thanked him for his kind words.

I gave a lot of thought to his message over the next few weeks. Sometimes, it really blows my mind when I think about God’s planning. I remember sitting at a table in homeroom with James talking about the pencil and paper cart and I don’t think I have seen him since. Yet, God reconnected us on Facebook a few years back when he and his wife were at a church in south Georgia.

God knew when I was in 7th grade, over 40 years ago, that He was going to grow that boy into a pastor. God knew  then that He would plant in me a seed for writing and sharing glimpses of Him to encourage others.  God even knew then, that I would now be suffering from loss and He knew then that He was going to make that flower grow to catch my attention. God knew then that He would use a social media platform that hadn’t even been invented yet, for that boy from my homeroom class to reach out and encourage me.

I find it both awe inspiring and humbling when I look back and see that God has always held me in His hands, even when I was completely unaware of His presence. A message from a childhood friend reminded me that God is truly always at work. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

On a recent trip to Yosemite National Park, my daughter and I hiked to the top of Vernal Falls. My sister told me ahead of time that the view from the top was breathtaking and that we couldn’t miss it. She had hiked it several times before and she assured us it was well worth the climb. The travel books called it a moderate hike and I’m in fairly decent shape, so I wasn’t concerned.

It wasn’t long into our climb when it occurred to me that my sister was in her early 20’s when she climbed to the top, and I am in my 50’s, but we kept going. It also wasn’t long into our climb when I wondered who the person was who decided it was a moderate hike. I mean, it was almost like a ladder at certain spots, but we kept going.

At one point, the people around us stopped to put on raincoats and ponchos and then continued their journey. I began to wonder if this “moderate” hike was truly worth the view. It was cool and we were clearly going to get wet, (which my sister had failed to mention), but we kept going.

Then we got out first views of the rainbows that were created from all of the water that was splashing from the falls. It was amazing and yes, totally worth getting wet to see, but the climb continued.  We would stop and rest and get a drink of water and then we would continue and those fellow travelers on that trail with us did the same. It was an encouraging group with lots of smiles and patience for people moving at all paces. It was as if everyone knew we were all heading to the same spectacular place and the destination would be worth every step of the journey to get there, no matter how long it took.

I’ll have to admit that when we got really close to the top, I seriously considered giving up. The stairs were wet and the climb was vertical. Every landing seemed to lead to more steps. I ended up behind a couple going very slowly. The woman was using a walking stick the man walked close behind her encouraging her. Almost every step, he said to her, “You’ve got this Gail, just one more step.”

I have no idea who they were or what Gail’s story was, but when my daughter, who is in her 20’s,  zipped past them, I walked behind them for a bit. I suspect that that man had no idea how much I appreciated his encouragement or how much I needed to hear it at the time, but by encouraging her, he was also encouraging me.

I asked another traveler how much further and she assured me that we were way to close to stop.

My sister was right. The view at the top was amazing. The climb had been worth every grueling step. We rested for a while in the bright sunshine with all of the other travelers who had made the climb before we headed back down.

That hike reminded me that as Christians, we are all travelers here.  Sometimes the journey can be incredibly difficult. Sometimes we need to stop and rest, but we are called to both encourage one another and to keep going, one step at a time. Because the views where we are going will be spectacular.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

After the sudden loss of my husband, when my head was still spinning and I barely had the energy to get out of bed, I had a deep urge to go and see the giant sequoias in California. I had always wanted to see them and I had become acutely aware of how short life here on earth can be, but it was more than that.

I felt a persistent nudge to plan to see them on my birthday. It was six months away and it would give me something to look forward to, since at the time, getting out of bed every morning was almost more than I could handle. I mentioned it to a few friends and they encouraged me to go. I mentioned it to my daughter and my sister and they wanted to join me.

My sister said that I really needed to see the waterfalls in Yosemite as well. So, we made a plan including a surprise plane ticket for my mama as a Christmas gift and we went to Yosemite at the end of April.

I obsessed about the weather the week before we left and I asked God to please bless us with sunny days. I literally prayed, “I know this is a stupid prayer, but please bless our trip with good weather.” The weather channel called for rain, but since I worship the God who creates weather, He is in no way confined by a weather forecast and He didn’t find my prayer to be stupid. The weather was excellent.

On our first day, we climbed the mist trail. It was a tough climb. The stairs were steep and wet, but when we arrived at the first lookout where rainbows sprung up everywhere, when the mist met the sun, I began to sob. Six months earlier, the Holy Spirit planted a seed in my broken heart to seek out the wonder in Creation and God met me there to put on a show. The sound of the water crashing was almost deafening and the barrage of rainbows was absolutely glorious.

I could feel His presence and I gave an immediate prayer of thanks for the wonder.

The following day we went to Mariposa Grove. I had wanted to see those ancient sequoias since a social studies lesson in elementary school. There was something spiritual about trees over 1,000 years old, but I knew that those waterfalls would be hard to top.

I was not surprised when God met me in the quiet grove of those mighty trees. He wasn’t loud and splashy, but the majesty was the same. When I gazed at trees that were too big to fit in a camera shot, trees that two people couldn’t join hands and fit around, trees that had been singed by fire, but still stood tall and pointed to God, I felt a deep kinship with them.

They were scarred, yet they still  had a story to tell. I imagine that most of us who have lived long enough, have scars of some sort, but those trees reminded me that as long as we are breathing, God is not finished with us. They reminded me to stand tall and allow our stories to point to Him because in the end, He will work in all things for the good of those who love Him.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Recently, my hubby and I, let our dogs out to run in their new home. They are used to being in a fenced in yard in a suburb, but now they have many acres in the country. Naturally, they love the freedom. It’s truly a delight to watch them run and usually, they come right back when we call. A few weeks ago, they didn’t.

We were in the middle of a serious renovation project, trying to get it completed by the time my new job started and they went missing. We stopped working and started looking for them and calling. We called and called and at some point, we split up. He went one way and I went the other.

Finally, they came running from where I was calling and I yelled to my husband that I found them.

We went back to work.

Last weekend, we were having our morning coffee and talking about our stress in this current season. We reminded each other that we know that God is with us because of all of the prayer involved in our plans and the affirmations He has continuously sent along the way.

My hubby asked me if I remembered the day when our dogs went missing. Of course I remembered.

He went on to tell me a part of the story that I didn’t know.

He said he went up towards the road to look for our pups fearful that they might have been hit by a car. He ended up in the small orchard of fruit trees that we planted in the fall. He said he stopped to look at them and was amazed at how green and healthy they all were. We planted eight and all were flourishing beyond anything we could have imagined. He said he stopped calling the dogs and said a prayer of thanks.

He said he told God that those thriving fruit trees could have only come from His blessing and humbly admitted that there was nothing in his own power that could have made them thrive the way they have and he thanked Him for providing. He then confessed that he had a lot of work to do and asked God to help us find our dogs.

He said almost immediately, I yelled that I had found them.

As he shared a previously unknown part of the story, my eyes filled with tears. I was reminded that God is always listening even when we don’t think He is. I was reminded of the power of a praying spouse, or friend or any brother or sister in Christ. I was reminded of the power of giving thanks maybe not for all circumstances, but in all circumstances. There is always something to be thankful for.

Our morning discussion gave me the encouragement I needed and reminded me of the power and peace that come from prayerful gratitude. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂