Sunshine and Shadow

I am ashamed to say how irritated I get with petty complaining. There seems to be a lot of it lately on my Facebook wall and it is incredibly tempting to lash out and cyberly slap certain people smack across their face in hopes of waking them from their numb, self centered state. My goodness it is days before Thanksgiving. What would it take to move us on from our continual attitude of "it didn't go my way and this Country, government, company, person, individual, human being is a piece of crap because of that"?

I can't help but wonder if pondering on things such as these would help.

From my Facebook wall the last two days:
From Congo: Helicopter gunships, tanks, artillery just north of Goma. Very grave situation. Pray 4 wisdom 4 @WorldRelief staff serving Goma.
URGENT: M23 rebels have advanced to the eastern DR Congo city of Goma. Our staff there reported heavy fighting, and thousands of families are streaming into the city for protection. 

From any news media you choose to read:
At least 95 Palestinians have been killed and more than 740 wounded in five days, Palestinian medical sources tell NBC News, as rockets continue to hit Jewish state.

A video my daughter asked me to watch this week to help understand what her coworkers (Burmese refugees) have lived through: The Road a Journey into Burma's War Torn State

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iholvIClPM

I love art, Renaissance being my favorite. I, not being an artist am amazed at what the Masters were/are able to do on a flat piece of canvas to bring perspective, depth and beauty.

This is probably my favorite painting, it's extra special that I stumbled upon it one day in Florence in a church, not even realizing beforehand that it was there. I cried, I was touched to my core that I was standing in front of it live, a masterpiece from hundreds of years ago.

The painting is called, Adoration of the Shepherds, painted by Domenico Ghirlandaio 1482-85.

I read this this morning:

"All the masterpieces of painting contain both light and shadow. By them the artist highlights certain features of his subject, and they provide contrast and harmony to reveal beauty or character."

"A happy life is not one filled with only sunshine, but one that uses both light and shadow to produce beauty."

I understand that hard times happen, conflict comes, life and people can be irritating.  I wholeheartedly believe how you respond, handle, deal with the challenges in life is what greatly molds you into the soul you will become and grow into in your later years. 

What is our desire to be known for as we age? A witch on a broom or a person of integrity and grace? 

As we live each day and every step of our journey of life here on earth it's our choice how we respond, that response is who we become.

Don't despise the shadows that are brought into your life, they can be used to produce a masterpiece.

I went to a wedding and came home to this;

a table filled with gifts that were a reminder of a sweet and special anniversary trip. A trip we took early so I could spend our anniversary at the wedding. Moments like these make me realize I possibly could be married to the most romantic man in the world. I am so thankful, our love and passion seem to grow stronger as we age, I do not take these last 26 years for granted at all.

The wedding was lovely, an amazing setting on the most perfect of days, a couple so strikingly beautiful and in love; my heart was so moved for them. I was so thankful they finally met; this bride had waited a long time for someone to love her. Her the little girl she was, the young woman that wondered if she'd ever have what Her soul longed for, the beauty she has become after years of being molded into Her.

There were things, just a couple, that bothered me this day. A bride who should've been gifted a wedding, instead she did it all on her own. The blood, sweat, tears and cash she put into it were evident, it was so perfect and so her, filled with grace, beauty, peace, yet simplicity and with a lot of fun. What a gift pinterest can be, it was a smashing beautiful success!

Secondly the gentleman who married them, he plugged his website, right there during the ceremony. It bothered me even more when I asked the Bride and Groom if he'd okayed it with them ahead of time; nope. Seriously this lacked so much class and "respect",  this instant of two souls committing, vowing, promising is between them and in my opinion a sacred moment. The sacrament of a wedding is serious and deep, a moment when time seems to stop as two hearts become one; website plugging does not belong.

On the other hand, said "preacher" did speak directly to the Bride (rather than referring her to his website...) expressing the importance of her showing respect for her husband. Please can I get an amen! He went on to explain how men are not women and what feeds them, nourishes them, helps them grow, etc. is to be shown respect, true respect.

I loved this so much because I have seen not only how true it is but how utterly important it is in a good marriage relationship. I wanted to reiterate this to the Bride, so I did (o: as she was sitting at our table. Another woman at table said, "yeah I need to get that website, I need that" my response, "no that is for husbands, not for us women", response "I know, I want see it so I can tell my husband, what it says", my final response, "it doesn't work that way."

Yes a man should be loving his wife, but that last thing he needs from his wife is to be told that. The first and last thing he needs from his wife is respect, he is a man. A man who is respected by his wife will soar. There are times every now and then when I verbalize to my husband the respect I have for him, I am blown away at what it means to him and does for him.

I do get that I am married to an amazing man, he is gifted beyond measure, his character and integrity never cease to impress me, the way he treats me and loves me is actually astounding. But there is a part of me that can not help but wonder, just maybe I am this "lucky" partly because of the way I have chosen to view our relationship. We each have responsibilities that are very different from one another, the more I focus on mine rather than his, the more blissful my married life seems to become.

It's what I want more than anything for my own children; other than to know the true Love of the Lord God, it's what I want for these two.

A life realizing that marriage is actually a fantastic gift filled with more than one can ever ask for or imagine, to be enjoyed and celebrated over and over. 

Wives, respect your husbands; in action, word and heart. It'll honor your man and you just might receive some sweet love in return.

James 1:27

There's a sadness within my soul
It's one I wish I didn't know
I'd like to say I don't understand
But truth I know every detail and imagined demand

The fear that grips is filled with pride, guilt and shame
Wishing there were less that knew my name
My head knows what each expects and desires
The gift of giving it blesses and inspires

We look for purpose and search for meaning
Hoping we sail through gleaming
Traveling to far off lands and strangers
Confronted with reality our soul finds anger
We plot, we plan, we give to help our fellow man

When all along within our blood
We see needs that each of us should
They were there before
Just behind the shy closed door

A place where helping is quite hard
No glory or praise as reward
The day is long and the air is sad
Why didn't I see we are all she had

Willing to give my life away
To those unknown because of cause
Dear Lord please help me next time to pause 

In my search of self fulfillment and need to feel whole
Recall truths to me I need to know
Please help me to look not quite so far
For you've shown that glory comes with a scar

My heart became broken, messy and sad
I jumped too soon as an eager lad
Finding truth that lied within
The great assumption is my only sin

Thank you for the widow I can touch
The orphan who needs so very much
The strangers I love and care for too
But I need the life I live to come from You

 James 1:27 KJV
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.