Shining Light

I attended a memorial service yesterday for a woman I have known for over 20 years. She was a mentor to hundreds of women through the years. She was also a tremendous cook and gardener, among other things. She brought me most of the starts to my herb garden at my last house. She herself had been through abuse, addiction, multiple marriages, and horrendous diseases and circumstances. But she never gave up in her pursuit of joy. A couple of years ago she had been given six weeks to live. But she persevered for two more years with such a loving attitude determined to serve through the number of her days.

On Monday several people visited her hospital room where she had already lapsed into a coma. They surrounded her in love as she had each one of them. With a room full of friends and family she suddenly awoke to ask what they were all doing there. She told them all that God was much bigger than we could imagine and the Light was amazing. That very witness increased the faith of many who needed it. The beautiful report she delivered was an astounding punch of encouragement for those that were in the room and all who heard about it later. Many left her room, thinking she was rallying. Just an hour later she passed, I believe with great joy, about where she was going. It was her perfect day, her soul leaving the broken body to rejoice with Jesus in person.

I wanted to post this photograph that showed light streaming through the trees along the train route to Silverton. My friends in Colorado call these 'God rays'. That streaming light shines on and through us. As Isaiah said "Arise and shine, for the Light has come. The Glory of the Lord is risen upon thee!" We are called to be light, Mary Lou let that light shine through her. She knew that she was on earth for God, to serve and love others.

Death does not separate us from the Love of Christ. And as our capacity for love through relationship with Christ increases, so does the light that shines in us for others.

Mary Lou, my blessing for you:

But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
Proverbs 4:18

Divine Appointments

I got something done yesterday that has been brewing for a long time. I triple matted and framed a picture of the scene I captured along the Durango-Silverton train route. It now lives above our mantle so we can remember being there together in that unbelievably stunning vista.

My husband works for a train company, and we have come to enjoy riding trains. We had heard about this train and wanted to take it someday. That 'someday' happened last fall, and produced this divine appointment. The stop along the route, the light, the time of day, the position of the train, all worked together to bless me with the opportunity to see this doorway of incredible gift to my spirit. Allowing me to be there with my camera also gave me the gift of being able to share it with all of you. The exact place going the other direction was almost passed before we realized how different it looked.

I define a divine appointment as a meeting up of a person with another person, event, or place that changes them and increases their faith and belief in God. This time and place along the river with the God rays streaming through the trees seemed to transport me out of time and body to a complete melting into the scene. I get a peace that returns in part every time I look at this picture. I felt so loved by God to have been brought to this place to experience how much I am treasured and loved by Him. He is Light and calls us to be Light, also.

Sometimes these moments cannot be captured by a camera. The grandeur will not be translated to its full wonder through a photograph, but this one came pretty close. It translates the Light sort of in the way Thomas Kincaid paints. In fact, it is hard to believe that it is a photograph and not a painting. This posting is not to boast about any skill on my part, but to boast in Christ about the wonders and amazing divine appointments that He has for us to give us glimpses of how we are loved.

I pray for you all to have divine appointments this year. Seek Him out, and you will find Him. Slow down, breathe, be present, listen. Blessings abound!