The Simple Things

Yesterday was an absolutely perfect weather day! Great temperatures combined with the most calming breeze blowing across the ocean made it difficult to resist taking a nice, long walk on the beach. There is something so tranquil about the sound of the waves crashing on the shoreline. With each step I could feel the stress of the week rolling off of me.

I thought throughout that walk how grateful I felt for that time, to just breathe, spend some time talking with my son, laughing a bit, and basking in the warmth of the sunshine. I know it may seem so small, but friends, that's where I have been finding my joy and blessings lately....in the small stuff!

 In a world where many of our lives can become so chaotic, distracting and stressful, it is in the small things that the biggest blessings are often found. I am thankful for a heart that no longer seeks the grandiose and can recognize and appreciate God's tender and loving hands in the smallest of things.

I have a new appreciation for simplicity. Think about how peaceful it feels when your life is less complicated. Although those times may not present themselves as much as we would like them too, do we really slow down to appreciate them and the peaceful joy they bring when they do?

I started learning the lesson of finding the blessings in the small things during my husbands illness, especially in those last few months of his life. But truthfully, it wasn't until much later during my journey, and even more so now, that I really began to appreciate and recognize that it is those small things that seem to have enough power to pull me right up out of the pit. For me, having the opportunity to reflect back on a life with someone I loved and lost opened my eyes to what those small, simple things that really blessed me were and still are.

When we truly surrender and let God remove the blinders from our eyes and begin to peel away those layers that are weighing us down, our heart can begin to absorb all of His glorious blessings....big or small!

Challenge yourself this week to look for God's blessing in each day, and when you find them, praise Him!

"God doesn't just bless us to make us happy; He blesses us to make us a blessing."
-- Warren W. Wiersbe

Blessings Always,  

Tammy