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Mary’s February Hope-Filled Living Newsletter

February 2, 2021 by Mary

February…the month of LOVE! Sending you all great love, my friends!

How are you holding up? In February of last year, my husband was just returning home from a skiing trip to Utah when we began hearing the rumor of a pandemic which had hit China. Little did we know, the whole world would be different within a year!

It’s been a rough year for us during this pandemic, as we have had very limited time with my 85 year old parents–one with congestive heart failure and the other with dementia. It’s hard to stay so far away from people you love while knowing they are facing their sunset and you have missed out on a year full of memory making. We had so many plans for time we had hoped to share. Around Thanksgiving, we lost a lifelong friend who was driving his motorcycle when a tree fell on the road before him. He died very suddenly and tragically. Shortly after that, we received the news days before Christmas that my 44 year old cousin had succumbed to Covid and went home to be with Jesus.

Life is precious and sweet and each day is a gift. We are all going through difficulty, but I believe that love is always the answer for hurting hearts.

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 NIV

As we go about our lives during a pandemic, we must remember to be a light and bring light into the darkness. The lightness of our being can bring hope to others and in doing so, invigorate our own sense of hope. As I go about my days, I am consciously aware of the sensitivities of those around me and how they may be struggling. What can I do to be a light bearer, a healing listener and to be tender keeper of hurting hearts?

“If we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It’s not what we do once in awhile, but what we do consistently.” Anthony Robbins

Love is an action. When we do it consistently and without reservation we help others to accept themselves, feel worthy and valued. In doing so, the doors of our hearts open wider, expanding possibility and cultivating a ripple effect. Hebrews 12:29 says that God’s love is a “consuming fire”. His love ignites the flame in our hearts and like a consuming fire, we cannot hold it back. A consuming fire is one that cannot be extinguished or controlled. We should not only worship the Father with this same fervor but pursue the lost, the downtrodden, the low in spirit with consuming love.

The world needs the light. We all crave the light. We were made for it. Love is the light and the light is LOVE–God Himself. The very flicker of light inside of us is a reflection of God in us.

A beautiful pink peony from my garden–the flower of love and compassion.

“Life is denied by lack of attention, whether it be to cleaning windows or trying to write a masterpiece.” Nadia Boulanger

What we pay attention to tends to grow. If we tend to matters of the heart, practice compassion, consider others with the love of Christ, these things will grow in our lives. Love freely given imbues us with a greater sense of connectedness, which is something we all need right now. We must water the flowers we want to grow.

I learned in my work both as a hospital chaplain and an minister presiding over a large outreach, that love returns 100 fold the more we give it away. As our arms open, so do our hearts. Our world expands in the proportion that we pray with others, lend a listening ear or an encouraging word. Our world expands in proportion to the love we give. Love being the consuming fire that it is, what we give is returned to us.

February is considered the month of love. Perhaps we can help each other heal and transform wounded hearts to hearts of joy. This past year, we have all been through and witnessed trauma. We need all of the collective love we can muster to restore joy and hope and bring healing to the world. I have a dear and wise friend, 92 year old Pat, whose friendship has been a soothing balm to my heart throughout the past year. We have agreed that laughter is great medicine and we find laughter together during our telephone conversations. We laugh in the midst of our human drama and heal our hearts by finding light in the darkness of a situation. Even the smallest things can bring us joy as we practice letting Love guide our hearts. There is One true Love. Jesus. When I say “practice letting love guide our hearts”, the intention is to let Him be our guide. God is LOVE.

Passionately pursue things of Love. It is a consuming fire. Let it fill your heart and consume your life, for you will find great treasure. The more of it within us, the more it overflows to others. This is Light.

Thank you for being part of my LOVE story and helping to shape me into the person that I am. You play such a tremendous role in my story and sense of purpose. Thank you for demonstrating pure LOVE, which helps me to thrive.

Happy February–the Month of Love! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Be the Light.

Love,

Mary

Mary’s January Newsletter (Hope-Filled Living)

January 10, 2021 by Mary

Greetings Sweet Friend!

It is with love, light and hope that I greet you in this New Year! Congratulations to all for enduring 2020! Let’s move forward with great joy and anticipation for the year to come! I move forward into 2021 with a heart filled with hope and gratitude for the supernatural favor of God and HIS enduring promises. Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures. 1 Chronicles 16:34

We have passed the threshold of a year that will go down in history for many reasons and we must now hold onto the hope that the very God who created the universe will bring us out of this darkness; a hope that He will lay these things to rest while carrying a torch to help us make our way into the light of His presence. I give thanks upon every remembrance of Him, for His love endures forever!

With that, the whisper of January is upon us. It is a time of stillness and wonder as I sit by the fireplace in my cozy 1883 bedroom. I enjoy quiet evenings curled up with a velvet comforter with the soft glow of the street lamps coming in through the old wavy glass. Many nights, I marvel and give quiet thanks for the beauty of tiny little snowflakes swirling and the sense of wonder that overtakes me as I watch them floating around the peaks of my house. There is something rich about being content and feeling safe during a time when the world is being shaken up. I find myself giving thanks continually for the comfort of my old house and the feeling of “home” within her walls. As I look out the window, I see in the midst of small bursts of flurries, other historic homes with frosty windows lit up and I know that my neighbors probably feel the same way. We all have so much to be thankful for.

I have started painting again and I am resisting the urge to critique my work; instead, I am giving myself permission to study, learn and practice a new skill that brings me joy. Keeping our thoughts at bay and our minds still while pursuing something we love can bring us great comfort and joy. I often think that as we create, it is a form of prayer. We express words that we cannot say through our creative pursuits. Psalm 46:10 says, “be still and know that I am God.” If you are struggling through the current situation in our world and at a loss for words to pray, perhaps it’s time to practice some form of creative pursuit and let your prayers come through it. I have taken great comfort during this pandemic in the pursuits of painting, sewing and writing. In case you missed it in the last newsletter, I wrote another workbook during 2020. It is filled with prayers for those days when you cannot find your own words. You can read them over and over again or recite them as a starting point. My offering to the world during a time of fear, grief and sorrow.

I have just started the soul stirring journey and heart preparation of writing another workbook in 2021 and possibly two. What creative pursuits will you begin this year? How can you take the love that comes from your heart and share it with the world to bring others joy, a sense of belonging or hope? We are all in this together and I look forward to walking alongside of you this year to see the bright and beautiful things you put out into the world. If we have learned anything during the past year, I’m sure you will agree with me that now more than ever, we carry with us a profound sense of gratitude for our loved ones and the people with whom we share our lives. We probably also share a deep gratitude and thankfulness for front line workers and every single person who has served us in some way during the pandemic. As I pull up to curbside each week for groceries and people bring my food out after shopping for me, I try to always be extra kind and thank them for their service and I give God thanks for them and say a prayer for that individual as I drive away. What a sacrifice and special gift that I could never have imagined, that someone would shop for me–hand pick my items from the shelf and bring them out to my car or deliver them to my house! Praise God.

As we move forward into 2021, may we be united in our hope for a better tomorrow. May that ignite our hearts to find gratitude and joy each day and to give thanks for everything bright and beautiful. May peace and joy be yours, sweet friend and may we all pursue things that bring peace, hope and joy in this New Year! Let’s choose to fill the world around us with hope! Let’s choose words of kindness! Let’s choose to serve others with our gifts, our hearts and our hands! Let’s choose to pray for our families, our neighbors and the world. Let’s choose those things that are true, honest, just, pure and lovely ( Philippians 4:8).

Love,

Mary

Mary’s December Newsletter (Hope-Filled Living)

November 30, 2020 by Mary

December 1, 2020

Dear Friends,

As I write this December newsletter, I am waiting with anticipation for the glorious celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior! Everything about this season gives us reason to hope as we put up our Christmas trees and hang garland and wreaths, light candles and watch the twinkling lights. It’s all done in celebration of the King of Kings. He is the twinkle that we see in the lights, the shimmering glow of candles throughout our homes, the gifts under the tree, the garland and wreaths. The round shape of the Christmas wreath is reminiscent of the circle, which symbolizes eternity; an emblem of our everlasting God.

As believers, the Christmas story is the foundation of our faith; the birth of Jesus Christ. It is the beginning of the life and story of Jesus our Messiah, born to a virgin in a lowly stable. The stars lit up the night sky and paved the way through the darkness for people to come see him, pay tribute and worship the newborn king. And so it is that the Savior of the world was born in a manger, no crib for a bed to a virgin named Mary.

I have a feeling that right now, right where we are–in the midst of a worldwide pandemic and the troubles of mankind, we could all stand to hear the story of the Messiah and the hope that He brings to the world.I have included it for you, here: The Christmas Story Read Aloud

If you want to learn just a bit more about Jesus, the Bible shows us that as a child, Jesus was drawn to the temple to worship His Father in Heaven. Traveling on a pilgrimage with his parents, He disappeared in Jerusalem. After frantically searching for the boy, this is what happened:

“Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” Luke 2:41-52 KJV

I could go on and on sharing with you the stories of the life of Jesus, as I find them so fascinating! Wishing you all the beauty and wonder of Christmas! I pray that you are all safe, healthy and filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Pray continually. Be kind and speak words of hope and life over yourselves and others. Know that this too shall pass and that in due time, we will be beyond this pandemic. I am looking forward to gathering with, hugging, laughing and breaking bread with our extended families. We are planning a reunion weekend at our house with a celebratory date yet to be determined. Keep hope alive in your hearts, sweet friends.

If you are looking for something to keep your mind focused on Jesus or a new study to start after New Years, or a gift for a friend or loved one, here is a link to my new workbook on Amazon, (where shipping is free with a Prime account). Otherwise, you can order it from my website.