Carried, Lifted, and Supported

When thinking of New York one of the first things that come to mind is the Subway. Of course, there is always the old-fashioned way of getting around on your two feet, but taking the Subway can save you time and energy. Another interesting way to get around New York is to use bike carriers. This is where a trailer with a seat for two is behind the biker and you sit and ride while you are carried around the city. Both modes of transportation bring to mind the importance of allowing others to lift you and carry you when needed. While there we walked 6 to 10.62 miles a day and climbed 23-30 flights of stairs some days. We did all this and we took the Subway often. I can't imagine how exhausted I would have been if I hadn't used the resources available! While we never used a bike carrier, they added an interesting dynamic to the city.  

Another lesson in being lifted comes from our hotel. The hotel we stayed in had two elevators and 26 floors with about 4 rooms per floor. On checkout day, one of the elevators was out of order. Imagine the headache when nearly one hundred guests (our choir tour group) checked out. With all my luggage in hand (my suitcase was NOT small) I waited over 15 minutes for an elevator that never arrived. Because of the delay and my concern that I wouldn't make check out in time, my son and I carried my luggage down 24 flights of stairs. It was exhausting and made me realize how blessed I am to be lifted, carried, and supported in life! Also, I CAN do hard things...but sometimes it's just nice to be supported by modern conveniences! 

Don't Sit on the Floor

 Every place you go has rules that don't make sense and New York has one that made no sense to me, at the time. While waiting there were moments that benches weren't available. One moment was waiting for the Subway and the other time was waiting for others to finish up an event. When I heard someone say not to sit on the floor of the Subway I figured it was for sanitary reasons. Those floors look like they are rarely mopped. When we were in the neat and tidy building at One Vanderbilt and the security guard asked the kids to stand up I had to ask. Why was this a rule? I mean these kids were exhausted and there were NO benches. Why couldn't they sit on the floor and relax if they wanted to? The answer surprised me. In a city with so many people, in the case of an emergency and everyone running, the kids would not have time to get up. It was literally a rule because it could save their life. This made me realize that there is no harm in asking why. Sometimes knowing why makes it easier to be compliant! 

I chose to share this lesson from New York today because I watched stories about 9/11 this week and that lesson was understood on a deeper level. Some of those who died on 9/11 were trampled as people ran to safety. It's amazing how many changes came from 9/11. I am truly thankful for the opportunity to see the memorial while I was in New York!    

9/11 Memorial Pools

One Vanderbilt

Can a ROCK Make You Feel God's Love?

 As my son and I were walking along the trail and back to Bloomington Lake I noticed a variation in the coloring of the rock. I love to find life lessons around me and most especially in the natural world. I decided to start photographing the rocks. Some might think taking picutures of rocks is very odd. For me I found a lesson in these rocks.

I asked my son what these rocks were made of and he replied, "minerals." I then asked him how big those minerals were. He answered that they were "very tiny." He even remarked that he could see some evidence of iron and copper in the rocks. I then asked him if the tiny minerals in those rocks mattered. Do those minerals make a difference? He agreed that they did. If those tiny minerals can make a difference in the way that rock looks to us just imagine the difference we, as tiny and insignificant as we may feel we are, make in the lives around us.

It is so easy to think that what we do or stay doesn't matter. It's so easy to be calloused or cruel to those around us without even thinking about it. It's easy to become lazy and indifferent in our actions. It's easy to believe the negative voices that tell us that we don't matter or make a difference. Oh, how much difference we can make when we show up as our best selves. Giving all that we can. Sometimes that effort and ability isn't as strong as other times, but we still can make a remarkable impact when we bring our gifts and talents to life and help others. We can still be a light in the darkness.

Never forget that you matter to this world. Never forget that you matter to others and NEVER forget that you matter a great deal to GOD! He loves you! I hope the next time to see a rock (especially a colorful one) that you remember that God placed all those perfect minerals together to remind you that he loves you more than you can imagine!