Goldfish

So what does it take to set you off balance, cause you great anxiety or fear? Are you a person who lets most of life roll off your shoulders or is it the very tiny alterations in your life that send you over the edge? I had the opportunity to evaluate that today.
A simple goldfish....cracker..... that is what it took for me to become sick to my stomach, develop a headache and require frequent trips to the loo. Goldfish! Well let me tell you the entire story.......

My son has celiac disease, can not ingest any gluten (wheat, rye, barley, malt, tritacalea or spelt. One crumb can cause him to develop stomach cramps, diarrhea, vomiting or worse. A crumb.
Now, that one crumb is serious, thus that goldfish cracker is serious. Yet it is such a tiny item, fits in the palm of your hand. BUT it can have serious consequences. So being the exceptional mother that I am, I became sick with worry.

Now, today is Sunday and I have just listened to how big, Omnipresent, Omniscient and Omnipotent the Lord is. Every where, all knowing, all powerful, always. So it is a fact that He has seen the goldfish enter the portal to my sons stomach and it is a fact that He knows the potential outcome of said ingestion. Most importantly it is a fact He also knows how to care for this child that is His....and He will do it so much more and better than I.

SO, I must lay down my fear, anxiety and eat food to calm my stomach. I must trust that the God that created the universe and designed this body is the God who has my son in His hand. As I type and read these words I am reminded how fragile my confidence is in Him who loves me most. Fortunately He knows that too thus He never lets go of me. So in closing this is what I know for sure, not even a goldfish will cause God to worry!

Sniffles

Could it be that our nose is really a reflection of some of our relationships in life? I do think it is so. Lets talk about our nose.

When it is performing well, it supports our glasses, separates our cheeks and helps us find dinner! ...... or where dinner was tossed. Hmm. Anyway, it works hard, it is smooth, constant, aware 24 hours a day. No odor left unturned!

Then there are those days when our nose is less than ...shall we say attractive. It makes rude noises, it might bubble, snort or be completely impassible causing other changes to our daily ritual of breathing. It might become red from friction, even painful from some of the insult that we may toss its' way. It may run constantly or sneeze trying to eject an offense. It is also constant, constantly unpleasant.

After a life time of use and abuse, love and frustration, the end of life nose is what meets us in the mirror. It is red, bumpy, probably larger than we ever remembered. It probably works, but not as well and it may run a lot! In some sad cases it has lost its' ability to smell. It is no longer part of the game. Except for some occasional discharge it is of no use, it provides no comfort, it gives no direction.

I see our life with humans this way. They are either an active part of our lives, constantly helping and giving clues to direct our paths, or they are functionally absent, no longer engaged. They may be in the room but they are no longer a "part". They have signed off from the relationship.

Now, sometimes it is neglect that has caused the damage to the nose. Sometimes it is abuse that has caused it to become dysfunctional. Or it may be the process of aging and activity that lead to the eventual end of the nose as we know it. Sound like a few relationships you are in or are no longer a part of?

Well, I will tell you to show more respect for you nose. You never know when you may need it, and you don't want to get to the end of days leaving something hanging on to the nare that needs to be cleared away. Love your nose, don't take it for granted. Use soft words (or tissue) and leave no unkind thing behind.