A new week

 
About two years ago I was blessed to meet an 85 year old devout Christian lady from my church. Her name was Ruth. We became close friends and I took care of her and visited with her until she passed away. It has been about a year now and as the time has gone by I have found myself drifting farther away from the Lord. This is not a good thing for me.
This last week was a week of turmoil, not from Jim’s illness, but from his possessiveness. We have been through so much in the last few months with his health issues, that I was especially vulnerable when this latest issue arose. I decided to look for a book from the library of Christian books that Ruth’s family allowed me to keep after her death. And of course it was there. It is called “What Makes Life Worth Living” by W. Phillip Keller. It only took four chapters to remind me how important God is in my life and to remember it is not all about me and to value and appreciate the beauty that is all around me. In this book there is a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson that I would like to share.
               To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of
               children; to earn the approbation of honest citizens and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give of one’s self; to leave the world a bit
better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to have
played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know even one life has
breathed easier because you have lived__this is to have succeeded.
I hope this next week is good for everyone and that we all find something to appreciate in the emotional and sometimes confusing lives we lead.