Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Dear God,

I awakened and walked into the living room where paper, ribbon, gifts, afghans, glasses, candy and cups were strewn across the room. I plugged in the Christmas lights, lit the candle, and sat down remembering. All my children together in one room. My grandchildren the same. Laughter, smiles, hugs, pictures, surprises. Little children closing in on me, wanting to be the next gift passer outer. It all came back to me in slow motion.

I am not able to put a value on yesterday. It's like the commercial..."priceless". But I am not just looking at the gift of yesterday. I am looking back over all the yesterdays that brought my today together. What you have done to bring a family back together! All the intricacies of relationships, words, gestures, tones, attitudes, behaviors all abstrusely changed, transformed. The signs of your handiwork are upon each person. If there was a way to dust for your prints, they would be all over the place.

As the dawn slowly emerged, I thought of how the darkness stepped back, allowing the light to come. And how equally the light will give way to the darkness tonight. All will be as it should be in creation. So has it finally been with my family. Darkness had held my family at bay. The light trying to break through. Yesterday and the former yesterdays of darkness left us in the light.

I do not speak of the darkness as a necessarily bad thing. Oh yes, to be sure the darkness that stole our hearts, robbed us of relationships, and took away our key to joy nearly sucked the life out of us for good. But on the other side, darkness is where tiny seeds of growth were sown. They took root. While we could not always see it with the naked eye, living water came out of heaven and gave us just enough. Light came in teeny rays to warm the seeds, encouraging them to grow. My soul's seeds changed my life in so many ways. Although the seeds took 13 years to bring the fullness, I look back and see how my life grew in new directions. I see how deep my roots dug down looking for water and sustenance. The greatest transformation in my life occurred these last 13 years. The thought of it is staggering, a great wonder.

I stand in the wake of your glorious presence, giving thanks and praise.

Glorious God,
to you all glory
is given.
To you
all praise is due.
I owe you
everything.

Love, Andrea