Tuesday, October 22, 2013

From My Father's Heart ~ The Difference A Few Moments In Time Can Make

Sometimes, we get to enjoy little miracles fashioned just for us!

A few days ago was one of those significant days that usually conjures an emotional response. Another anniversary, this would have been our 16th. I was pleasantly surprised however, and so thankful for a really good day. It was sunny and warm; bright and breezy enough to encourage me to hang my laundry outside in the sunshine. I  baked a loaf of bread that day; and thanks to my dear friend, Pat, I got a nice long walk in as we watched the beautiful full moon rise in the north eastern sky.

As I reflected on the day, I was thankful that it wasn't a terribly emotional one as anniversaries normally are. This was the best so far and I'm thrilled to look back and see a marked difference compared to years past. I'm thankful for progress. Thank You, Lord, for the blessing of this beautiful autumn day!

Recently this week, I read a beautiful story about a very special close encounter with a hummingbird. God used this tiny jewel-like creature to begin the restoration process in the heart of a man who had just laid his precious wife to rest. The story made me cry as it brought to mind a very special memory that took place late summer, last year. As I thought about my close encounter, I tried to locate it among my blog posts from last September. As I searched, I realized that my story was still in draft form and I never published it as I thought I had. The story is true and took place on Buck's birthday last year. I know in my heart that God was aware that I was having a difficult day and needed a special moment that would lift my spirits. I'm so thankful to have it in my treasury of special memories. This is what I wrote that day.

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I have made a commitment to do my best not to focus on grief, since the three year anniversary mark of my sweetheart's home-going... both in my writing and in my life in general. But my reality still includes many moments that inspire sadness that I just can't hide or ignore. When you lose someone you love, it's important to acknowledge the grief and loss whenever the moments arrive, so you can move past them and find all the many moments of joy that life still has to offer.

Significant days still hit hard. Early September delivered one of those days as my husband's birthday came around again. It is my desire to encourage anyone who is dealing with grief or loss, by sharing my story of how the Lord made it clear that He knows when my heart needs a “joy lift”. He blessed me with some unique joy-filled moments this week that proved once again that He loves me and provided some memorable distractions that I will always cherish as gifts from His heart.

I think it's interesting that these ”gifts” showed up in the same location: my favorite spot on my front porch. The day after my encounter with the praying mantis, as I shared about in a recent post, I was blessed again as I savored the last of summer as I swayed on my glider. I was trying to compose some Haiku poetry, when a hummingbird came to visit the flowering plant next to me. She was only an arms length away! Imagine my surprise when she moved away from the tiny white blossoms and hovered directly in front of me, just about twelve inches from my face! I wondered if she thought my hair was a big white flower as she studied me for about seven glorious seconds!

This was not the first time I experienced such a delightful encounter, as I was blessed years ago with a similar visit. Only on that occasion, the tiny iridescent bird was drawn to a red design on the front of my tee shirt, as I hung a freshly filled hummingbird feeder. This time I was wearing a dark gray tank top and there were no bright colors or feeders to attract my feathered friend, only a feeder nearly twenty feet away.

That's why it is so obvious to me that these precious, back to back wildlife encounters were gifts from my Heavenly Father's hand. He knew that Buck and I both loved hummingbirds. And He knows me well enough to know, that such an unexpected surprise would lift my spirits on a day that I was struggling while missing my sweetheart. That precious “gift” made me cry in remembrance, but there were tears of joy mixed in as well, in appreciation for such a wondrous personal touch from my Lord! Those amazing moments turned my day around, and for that, I was so thankful!

As I basked in the memory of the face to face visitation, I was inspired to commemorate the occasion with a Haiku poem, in thanksgiving for God's gift to me that day.

Face To Face

Today's best moments
Close encounter to behold
Hummingbird visit

Eye level juncture
Curious observation
Brought us face to face

Few moments in time
Blessed connection with nature
Freeze frame with splendor

Magical motion
God's glorious creation
Thank You for the gift