Liz's Letters

So.... I know the title of this post says wordless Wednesday but considering there have been zero words on this blog for a week and a half (even my sister fussed at me for being so negligent) I thought I would tag on a few thoughts. I selected this photo from our recent cruise because it reminds me of a wonderful time. One of the reasons I really enjoy vacations is because they create memories. but the memories disappear from our minds and thoughts so quickly and I want to keep them fresh. When I look at this photo, the sights, sounds, and smells of the ocean fill my mind and my heart. I feel serene, peaceful, and grateful. This is good because since our return, I have been making preparations (with a group of outstanding coworkers) to open a hospital... now in just a few days. There is something very, very satisfying about making something from nothing. I wonder How did God feel when He created the earth and all that is in it? And I stop ... in awe... of how big He is and how small I...

Taking time to be grateful... for Heat. Every Monday since I started my new job, our building has not had heat. This would not be so bad except it has been bitter cold outside, Texas or not. And I REALLY do not like the cold. We don't really know what is going on with the heating system, but today, when I got to work and discovered the cold, I drove home, picked up a blanket, and went back to work. It warmed up as the day went on, so we must have gotten heat, but I am so grateful to be in a heated environment. Friends. Real friends. These gifts surface at exactly the right time, and honestly, there was a time not that long ago that I wondered if there is such a thing as real friends, and if there is...would I really ever have them? Well, I have had them all along. I forget sometimes when I get cynical. But, I have them - that's for sure! And they just get better and better. Reading. I am grateful that I have the ability to read. And I read all day long - various types of thing...

Whew. The week is over and I am so tired! But it was a fantastic, wonderful, fulfilling, and joyful week. The hospital I am working for is close to being open for our first admits and even though that is very exciting, I have been awake a few nights in the middle of the night since I am the one responsible for getting those patients checked in, with insurance verification... so we can get paid. I love it. But the details swim through my head at the most inappropriate time, like 1:15 a.m. And honestly, I am flat worn out mentally. I have good friends who have kept me encouraged. Thanks to my best, best friends... getting me out in the middle of the day and going to lunch, sending sweet "thinking of you" emails, dinner with my prayer partner/accountability partner that lasted until bedtime, and the most surprising... my new co-workers. Working together for a little over a month now, but we all agree, feels more like a lifetime... and family. New for me to enjoy spending time wi...

I wish it weren't so difficult for me to stop and take the time to think about the many things that I have to be grateful for. It seems it is when things are going well, dare I say even almost perfect, that enjoying all my blessings hinders my ability to s.t.o.p. and savor them and to thank God for them. My life is a holy experience, filled with the gifts that God showers upon me. My beloved husband, who still, after more than 30 years, leaves me love notes under my pillow when he goes out of town. Pulling into the garage and the door swinging open and my beautiful teenage daughter waiting and hanging out with me and helping me cook dinner. Her singing, and playfulness give me energy even after a long day. And long days, like today, that although long, bring satisfaction and joy at being productive. So grateful to be able to say (and mean it) "I love my job!" My sister-in-law's pathology report coming back with no further malignancy after a double mastectomy. Than...

New Year's Resolutions sort of get on my nerves. Why do we think that because we go to sleep one night and wake up the next morning that our motivation or our strength to make huge life changes will happen just because one number changed on the year of our calendar? Okay, I get the new year, new beginning thing, but we have that same opportunity often. Every day is a new day. Every hour is a new hour, and even a minute gives us the gift of a new start and another opportunity to make a better choice than we might have made the moment before. Not to say that I am not for setting goals because I certainly am, but it annoys me just a little that lists upon lists of resolutions are made at this time of year and so few of them are achieved. I wonder if it is because we make a list of 5, 10, even 50 things that we want to do differently, add to our lives, or resolve to stop doing and in all reality, to make one major change at a time and stick with it is so much more achievable. So my...

We are back and we had a fantastic time!