Scatter the flowers

  Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, created in 1503 The Louvre Museum in France "Da Vinci painted one Mona Lisa.  Beethoven composed one Fifth Symphony.  And God made one version of you." Max Lucado, Christian author There she was - only 30 inches tall by 21 inches wide - staring right at me with her pretty (some say 'mystic') smile.  By me, I mean me and about 2800 of my closest friends from around the world who were gazing at Mona Lisa.  (That's how many on average go through the Louvre every hour.) Her famous smile has been studied endlessly over the years and songs have been written - does it reflect sadness?  Reserved joy?  One story reveals that Lisa del Giocondo (the supposed subject) had just lost a child and bore another one, but was reluctant to smile fully as she was full of loss and happiness at the same time. I like that account because it reflects us as women - we undoubtedly have suffered loss in our lives (miscarriage, divorce, loss of l...

  "Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."  ~F. Scott Fitzgerald, the Great Gatsby August 22nd.  I did it.  I put up my fall decor in my house.  That's right - my house, my rules.  Many of you are gasping at the wildly unreasonable ridiculousness of that decision.  "Stop rushing summer out!  Just enjoy summer!"  I hear you but I don't agree.  I only endure summer so fall and winter come.   "Great Caesar's Ghost!"  "What in tarnation?" "Land Sakes Alive!" "Is she pulling my leg?" What prompted such an outlandish action was some yellow leaves on the ground from aspen trees in our yard.  I guess the drought is causing them to turn sooner than usual.  So I, too, went with that schedule.  But to my absolute horror other aspen leaves are just turning brown and crinkling up as a reaction to the drought.  No water, no color. I'm taking some pretty wide analogy liberties here, but it did...

  Google image "The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one's 'own', or 'real' life.  The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one's real life - the life God is sending one day by day."  ~ C.S. Lewis, Christian author & theologian Balance.  It's such a buzz word.  And yet, without it we can run off the rails, lose our chi, burn out, spin out of control, burn the candle at both ends, go haywire.. get my meaning?  There's a reason there are so many phrases for the same thing. Ever felt like we are at the end of our rope (haha one more)?  Like maybe for the 4th time this week and it's only Tuesday.  Whether you're a mom, part of the working force, a caregiver for parents or grandchildren, or all of the above - the "frazzled" button just pops on without notice. Only the notice really is there; we just ignore it til it goes off like an ala...

  "Marriage is meant by God to put that Gospel reality on display in the world."  ~John Piper, preacher & author Bridezilla - the word can imply some pretty ugly scenarios.  For example, a best friend who was not asked to be in a wedding because she was overweight and the bride thought she would throw off the wedding photos.  Or the one who threw a mandatory bridesmaid meeting and warned them they all better not show up to the wedding in natural makeup.  Or the one who insisted on pre-approving all hairstyles, giving out pictures of acceptable ones.  I think there's even a show about these people. Yikes. But this week I attended a wedding that was truly refreshing - God was revered from the very first moment, given the most honorable place at the event.  While I've been to many weddings that acknowledge God, I am sad to say I've also been to some where God is not even mentioned. I don't have any idea how a marriage hopes to survive or thrive withou...

  "All warfare is based on deception." ~Sun Tsu, The Art of War 🌣   Yep.  I fell for it again.  I let someone deceive me into buying something and it was a scam.  I feel so vulnerable and helpless when this happens.  And stupid. Yet one more reminder there is a dark side of the web and bad people who want to hurt us - whether it be financial, spiritual or personal.  In an area where you can feel unsavvy, uneducated, even novice in some areas (and others, experienced enough to know better), it's easy to feel the need to act on trust, and want to believe people's intentions are good.     But some are not, and it seems more and more we need to distrust, check, verify, and not hurry into transactions without validating so we are not deceived.  Welcome to the end times... 🌣 Our trust is in the Lord - for our eternity and our well-being now on this earth.  It doesn't mean we are exempt from exposure to evil.  Jesus warne...

  "None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free."  ~Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe As a teenager, I used to cry to my dad because of his strict rules for me, often saying, "Why don't you just lock me up and throw away the key!"  Dramatic much?   I fought back, thinking I knew best, that I had control over my behavior, and that I would always make the right choice and not need anyone's help.  I viewed all of his rules as obstructions to my freedom.   All my poor sweet dad was intending to do was set some sensible boundaries to protect me from boys with not-so-good intentions, laziness, idleness, and just general teenage girl tendencies that possibly reaped life-altering consequences he had witnessed too frequently as a high school principal.  He just wanted the best for me. As America celebrates their 250th year as an independent country, our founding doctrines guarantee us freedom from an overreaching tyrannical ...

  google image "We have a great sense of togetherness.   It is our team Spirit that has taken us to  the World Cup." ~ Robbie Keane, professional footballer & coach Watching the World Cup is a riveting experience.  Learning the rules of the game is an entirely different challenge - so much seems subjective with the time rules and the calls.   Maybe it's because I've been an American football fan my whole life that I feel like I've just been let into a new fun culture of fandom.   I am so happy the U.S. was able to host this year, bringing people from all over the globe here and watching them unite over a team/country.  It's been refreshing to see and hear the comments from other countries' fans as they visit America and enjoy our customs and  the different sites .   I heard a story that struck me with amazement.  Japan's team, after the game, left their locker room tidy and organized. Their fans and team also help...