Circle of Life

Life is a funny thing.  It can take you 'round and 'round in this world, but you often end up right where you started.  As I sit here typing, I can look out my window and down the street I see a bank building.  That bank building was once a hospital.... the hospital where I was born.  Now, I find myself in a nursing home less than half a mile from where I was born.  Interesting, isn't it?

I've also discovered that some people come into and out of your life, and some of them reappear in your life years later.  It's the circle of life.

Since I've been in the nursing home, I have reconnected with several friends from the past.  One of them, Mildred, was my Sunday school teacher when I was in about the third grade.  She had an influence on my life when I was young.  Now, she's in a room just down the hall, and we eat breakfast together at the same table.

Another dear lady, whom we all call 'Little Granny,' worked in the children's church ministry for more than 50 years.  She's now nearly 90 and is a resident here at the nursing home.  She may be nearly 90, but she still has some pep in her step.  She even dances!  They evaluated her recently, and the therapist asked her if she could walk across the room.  She jumped up and started dancing across the room.  She spreads a lot of cheer around here and is an inspiration to all.

Then, there's Johnnie, who has been a friend of my mom's and our family for many years.  Johnnie's family and my grandparents were neighbors when Mom was just a little girl.  They went to church together for years.  Johnnie is now 95 and was recently honored for her service and faithfulness to attend the same church for almost 85 years.

It's neat to get to be around these special ladies along with other longtime friends Maxine and Carolyn, the mother of one of my schoolmates.  I'm glad they are all part of my circle of life.

There Is Hope

Happy new year!  There's something about the start of a new year that brings a renewed hope for good things to happen.  The past and its failures and disappointments are behind us.  The new year brings a fresh start.

My Bible reading for today reminded me of all the benefits we have in serving God.  It is in Psalm 103, and I wanted to share part of it here:

^{Psalm 103}

¹ Praise the Lord, my soul;
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
² Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits—
³ who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,
⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

 

⁶ The Lord works righteousness
    and justice for all the oppressed.

⁷ He made known his ways to Moses,
    his deeds to the people of Israel:

⁸ The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
    slow to anger, abounding in love.
⁹ He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;
¹⁰ he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.

¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;
¹² as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

 

¹³ As a father has compassion on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
¹⁴ for he knows how we are formed,
    he remembers that we are dust.

¹⁵ The life of mortals is like grass,
    they flourish like a flower of the field;
¹⁶ the wind blows over it and it is gone,
    and its place remembers it no more.

¹⁷ But from everlasting to everlasting
    the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
    and his righteousness with their children’s children—
¹⁸ with those who keep his covenant
    and remember to obey his precepts.

 

What great promises!  When I read that, it gives me such hope for the future.  I hope it gives you hope, too.  If we don't know the Lord, our past brings regrets, our future brings fear, and our present is filled with turmoil.  But if we do know Him, our past brings forgiveness, our future brings hope, and our present is filled with peace.