Pulling Away

          I took the plunge and pulled the plug on facebook.  I do not see this as being a permanent parting, but I intend to stick solely to the face God gave me until after the New Year.  I am shocked when I look back over the last few weeks and realize how many hours I spent wandering around the virtual paths of the social network.  Seeing what people were doing, waiting for anticipated messages for hours, and just plain wasting time.  No more.  Life is way too short to live virtually.  I do intend to make my blog a top priority however.  I have, somewhere along the way, lost sight of what I always intended my blog to be, a scrapbook.  I wanted this space to be a place to store and share parts of my life, and lately life has proven to be rather challenging.  Growing pains are never easy, but ignoring them rarely makes it any easier. A wonderful friend passed along this beautiful poem . . .

When the way I see is stony

And the path ahead is steep,

I’ve learned a way to climb it

And grow flowers at my feet.

Lift up the feeble hands that hang,

And eyes cast toward the ground.

Look high above the mountain-tops

To Him who wears the crown.

Let praises flow from stumbling lips

While glory shines around.

The way is UP, which makes it hard,

But you have covered ground.

Progress stalls and grovels low

When your spirit is cast down.

The rocks are sharp and hurt your feet;

You see your brother’s frown.

But praise Him in the hardest spot;

His Spirit will bring cheer,

No harm can come from trusting Him

And He the way will clear.

See now the flowers at your feet

Where once were only stones?

These grew while you were praising Him,

And looked to Him alone.

-Chris Josephson

          Too many times I become so focused on cursing the stones, that I totally forget the flowers; or worse, I trample them in my unseeing frustration at the hardships blocking my path.  Life is definitely not easy, but we only get one try at it, that alone should be an incentive to give it our best shot.  So, I begin the first moment of the rest of my life . . . now!