Tag Archives: hope

Going Back

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bee-on-yellow-flower-cropped-webOne of my favorite places this year has been the rose garden at the company of Harry and David. They used to own Jackson and Perkins until they sold it a few years ago. Jackson and Perkins specialized in roses. Harry and David’s rose garden was the ‘test’ garden. Every color, species, and size of rose you can imagine, hangs out at Harry and David’s garden.

I’ve made several trips to the garden this year, while living in Oregon. I’ve taken guests there, my granddaughter, my neighbor and more. Most of them have had a similar reaction to mine… breathless. Speechless. In awe.

The colors are magnificent and stunning, surprising in some instances as they flower buds in a deep red, opens to orange and fades to a yellow. Some have one large stem that dons eight or more blooms – a bouquet in itself.

When I have gone alone is when I can truly take my time and enjoy every step. I could spend the day there. There are asters, lilies, peonies and butterfly bushes. Ornamental grasses, fruit trees, lavender and well – I could go on and on – it’s there. The saddest thing to me is that no one else is every there. It’s always void of someone to walk it’s path, linger over the fragrances as my little granddaughter loves to do.

In each row, with each step, I find a reason to praise God. With each water drop that twinkles in the sun’s rays, I find a reason to smile. With each honeybee that buzzes from one petal to the next, I almost laugh. I find I can disconnect from the despair I sometimes feel. The tough moments. The trying times. The mundane. I can walk on the thick, lush grass and find one more bloom, one more color, one more surprise to be thankful for.

Eventually it’s time to go home. I have filled up the camera card with pictures of bees, blooms and bunnies. I download the photos onto my computer and relive those moments again. I see God in every picture. I see His beauty, His creativity, His peace, His provision. I see how He cares for me.

I hadn’t been to the rose garden for a while and as I walked the paths today, God refreshed my spirit. Sometimes we get caught up in the day to day despair of life. In the tough stuff that we must deal with. In the tedious, the mundane, monotonous day to day of life. We wonder if there’s anything greater than washing dishes, folding clothes, or taking the garbage out.

And then, we spontaneously take a trip back to a place where once we were met by God and find Him there once again. And once again, so faithful as in the times before, He strengthens and refreshes our spirit. Sometimes going back is a good thing. Sometimes it’s the only way to go forward.

I encourage you today, if you’re tired, weary, worn out and feel defeated, think of that place where you have met God and been renewed. If at all possible – go there and bask in the love and grace of His presence. If it’s not possible to go there, find a quiet place where you can close your eyes and remember the time (or times) you did, dwell on it and He will come to you, right where you are. Let Him fill you up. He will. Count on it.

Sherri

Accept or Ignore – Click One

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peach-blossom-1Somewhere, for some reason, within the last 24 hours, I wrote that PD can be both a blessing and a curse. As I wrote that first sentence, I remembered where, but it’s irrelevant. Anyhow, a few months ago, I was contacted by the PR person at Parkinson’s Disease Foundation and asked to write an article about my life with PD and so, to make a long story short, I kind of forgot about it. However, it was released today.

Today. The day before I felt I had nothing to offer. Two days before I had pronounced myself an invalid in the future, while driving through the beautiful countryside with my husband. A week before that, I felt I was losing all hope, as I hadn’t seen my little Boo for almost two very long weeks.

Then today, having forgotten about that article, I received three emails (hey – that’s a lot!) from people I don’t know that had read it already today and that they had been blessed.

And you know what else happened?

I was looking over the tweets on Twitter yesterday and something happened. There was a tweet about fear by Max Lucado. It spoke straight to my heart. It wasn’t a coincidence and it rebirthed the hope that I allowed to be suffocated by fear. Fear that said I have nothing to offer – including my writing.

So, as you can do with Twitter, I tweeted him back and said, ‘Thanks – I needed that’.

Then you know what happened? He asked to be my friend on a social networking site I frequent. Max Lucado… my friend?!?

There’s no need to point out that he is friends to thousands of others and that he’s become friends to thousands more probably within the last five minutes. There’s no need to mention that he wouldn’t know me from Elmo if I were walking down a street. However, I relished in the fact that Max (we’re on a first name basis now, because that’s how friends are) wanted to be my friend, even if he doesn’t know who in the world I am. So, after prayerfully considering this new request for one milli-second, I pushed the accept button.

Which brings me to my point…

God is calling all of us to be His friend. To believe that even though there are countless other souls He’s calling after, He calls to us as if we were the only one He wants. He wants us to get to know Him better. Spend time with Him. What will we answer? Will we click ‘accept’ and get to chatting and spending time with Him, or will we click ‘ignore’ and maybe reconsider at a later date (if we have more time)?

God is calling us. He’ll keep calling until we click on ‘accept’ and begin developing an authentic, relevant and deepening relationship with Him. He’s not going to give up. Until then, we can keep pushing ‘ignore’, but He’ll be there waiting.  Just for you.

His,

Sherri

Live Today

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raised hands

I received an email from someone concerned that they may have the beginnings of Parkinson’s Disease. I have met others who have PD, but not someone in the throws of wondering if the symptoms that they are experiencing are, in fact, PD.

I can’t stop thinking about him. I think because it takes me back to my diagnosis, to my days of wondering what was going on. I can relate so well and, I can understand, all too well.

He is scared, wondering if he does have PD, and I am able to look back and see myself where he is now – scared, uncertain, and desperate. I can now see that, even though the future is still uncertain, I have been blessed with a wonderful doctor, the support of friends and family and more than anything, been given the opportunity to encourage and come alongside of others. I was not able to see those things then, the fear taking away everything else that was in my future and leaving a sense of hopelessness.

Isn’t the future, in reality, uncertain for each of us, whether we have been diagnosed with a disease or not? None of us knows how the end will turn out or when will be the last time we will tuck our babies in bed at night.

I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes:

“Dance as if no one were watching,
sing as if no one were listing,
and live everyday as if it were to be your last.”

That is how I want to live each day, whether I am fighting with PD or making peace with it. I want to dance without reserve, even if I stumble. I want to sing at the top of my lungs, even if others think I’m still whispering. And, I want live each day as if it is my last opportunity for anything, even if I am given a tomorrow.

It is a hard thing to do – to live like that. There are so many distractions, so many reminders that we are not ‘whole’. With distractions that plunge their way into our daily paths and constant reminders from our bodies that struggle against their own desire to be free from disease, we can, however, choose to have the attitude of living life to its fullest and enjoying the journey, even if it’s not the one we would have chosen. It always seems better to wear a face of hope than that of despair.

I would like to encourage all of you, whether you have been dealing with a disease of any kind, whether you have just been diagnosed, or perhaps you are wondering if the symptoms that have just started are anything worth fretting over – live this day as if it were your last – dance and sing. Do it without reserve. I dare you. Oh, and don’t forget to tell someone you love them – at least once.

**Pockets of Hope

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Pockets of Hope

Pockets of Hope

A few weeks ago I was flying on an airplane from here to there. The weather was bad and visibility was nil. You could look out the window and see nothing but a layer of dark, gray clouds. However, every once in a while there was a little hole, a pocket in which to view the earth below. Under that dark canopy were homes, cars bustling down empty roads, people who were hurting, rejoicing, with and without hope.

It made me think of being on the other side of that cloud cover. Often I have stood under dark, gray clouds and looked up to see a little pocket of sunshine coming through the sky. Sometimes the rays have been so amazing I often have felt Christ could come right then through that ray of sunshine. I have stood there, looking upward on those gray days and felt the warmth stream down through those little pockets of sunshine and shine upon my face. Something happens inside of me. My hope is restored.

I have focused on my surroundings so often, that it is hard to lift my head. However, I have a mighty God who sits enthroned up there where the sun shines. He looks down below and sees and knows our state of mind and the condition of our spirits. That is why He gives us little pockets of hope, rays of sunshine that shine down upon us in our darkest moments. They encourage us to take a deep breath and focus above and know that He is still God and He is still in control. The little pockets of sunshine encourage us to keep going.

It’s not hard to look around and see chaos. We search within and find despair. God looks around and sees a plan. He searches within us and finds a wounded and weary spirit. We look up and see clouds that hide a clear view of who God is. We look up and fear the storms that are coming. He looks past and sees the rainbow He’s about to stretch across the sky. We see the now – He sees tomorrow.

It can be difficult to find the hope in the hard times. It can be hard to find sunshine in the storms. But, as winds of broken dreams and the rains of helplessness beat against us and wear us down, that’s when He does it.

He reaches down and gently parts the gray skies, sending a brilliant ray of light that spreads over the chaos around us. A ray of light that is captivating – luring even – as we stand there and soak up the warmth He is pouring down upon us.

He gives us pockets of hope. Amazing hope that builds up our faltering faith. A faith that gives us the strength to press on through the storms of this life.

That is my ministry of writing – to show you that there are pockets of hope for those who are weary, for those who are hurting. To offer a little something that might make you smile – laugh even – as you journey through life. A little story for a little child, a tribute to a grand grandmother, a hug on a page for a friend.

God has given me countless little pockets of hope on the darkest of days and I have learned to look for them in the hard times. They are there. I have seen them. The trick is to look for the light and not to focus on the dark clouds hanging overhead.

Lift your face from despair and look up – up to Him – and He will give you little pockets of hope – hope that will break through on even the darkest of days.

That’s a promise.