New beginnings

Its Spring, Labour day is upon us, the weather is warm and sunny and my garden is regularly filled with Tui. Tui are honey eaters and they know how to seek out what is good and sweet and delight in it.

I am amazed at how raucous and territorial they are.  They chase away the other birds including the beautiful Rosellas that also love to visit my Pohutukawa. They defend what is good and protect it from being stolen away by others.  

Birds fill my garden with life and somehow manage to insert moments of joy into the most difficult day just by hanging upside in a tree trying to get some nectar and then wooshing away in a great chortle of delighted noise.  They have such energy and exuberance, such joie de vie  and never fail to help me smile.  They are also exquistely beautiful creatures with an extravagance of loveliness in colourful plummage and are very social... always in the company of other Tui.

My grandson lives with us and he is also full of delight.  He smiles and chuckles and says 'Hey O" to anyone who is within his vision.  Both he and the Tui are full of life; it bubbles out of them as they just go about their day doing what comes naturally.  In the process they give delight to those around them.

It has got me thinking; how much energy and exuberant joy have I been displaying lately?  Not much I fear.  The cares of 24/7 childminding and overconcern for the choices my daughter is making all too readily rob me of being in the moment and just living.  I have no control over her choices and yet fears about them can consume me with useless anxiety if I let them.

I have mused on this and come to the conclusion its my imagination that is the biggest culprit and joy robber.  Every day starts out fine then some concern or issue will come across my day like a cloud over the sun.  Pretty soon I am imagining the worst and projecting out several weeks, months or even years to a sad and sorry future.  All the while I am missing the joy and delight that is right before me in the moment. 

Imagination is like a very poor weather forecaster. It has the capacity to make every day dull and dreary by predicting gloom and gathering storm clouds ahead. We live in an age when imagination has been elevated to the point of master and given free rein so that it can all too easily become a slave driver, stealing away all the wonder and joy of today for the projected fears and concerns of illusory tomorrows. So I am choosing from today to attempt to put controls on  my imagination.  It will serve reality and truth, goodness and intelligent observation rather than willfully control my emotions and cast shadows on my days. 

So I am starting this little blog.  It is to be my place for reflecting on the goodness and joy in life.  A place for noticing the ordinary and delighting in it. A place to ponder and pause amidst the busyness of life and pay attention to things I am grateful for, even if only for a few moments.  It is my place to revel in the wonder of each new day and the extraordinary abundance and extravagance of beauty, love, happiness and friendships that are constantly being offered if I take the time to notice.  It is a place to give glory to God and be grateful for the amazing gift of life, health, family and all the good I am surrounded with each day; To taste and see that the Lord is good ...like honey in the rock and nectar in a flower.  This will take some effort on my part to achieve just like it takes effort for the Tui.  It may seem quite challenging some days but will always be worth the effort if I perservere.  The fruit will be worth the labour and who knows others may get to delight with me along the way. 

 If anyone else reads this...you are welcome in my world and I pray there may be something of gift in what you read and that it may in some way help you to stop and ponder and notice the good in your day also and find things to make you smile and give glory to God about.  You are also welcome to comment and add your thoughts, reflections and musings especially if they involve noticing the joy in the ordinary and taking time to reflect on lifes good.  So welcome to my world...of Tuis and 20 month old children, of struggles and fears, joys and delights, welcome to ordinary life and a way of trying to embrace it and live it intentionally to the full for the glory of God.