Pastor Kerry spoke yesterday regarding miracles and their occurrence in our lives without fanfare or a chapter dedicated to them in the Bible. Often we want to see Jesus walk on water when he is carrying us through the deluge each day of our lives. We seek ‘Red Sea Parting Confirmation of God’s love for us while he protects our well-being at home and work and play. In many instances, I have had confirmation of Christ’s concern for me and I have never seen a burning bush.
‘Then He said, ‘Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.’ And behold the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind, and after the wind an earthquake, and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, ‘What are you doing Elijah?’
The spectacle we love. Balloons brightly colored streamers and loud emotion-stirring music is what we expect when J.C. is involved with us. We know that he must want to be seen and recognized and applauded and praised for each and every little thing that he does for us.
Politicians have learned that the perception of what is true is often better for them than what is actually true. They tell us that certain books are bad for us and that only certain people are on their approved list. We felt a bit down regarding our accomplishments until the leaders told us that we were all right as long as we aligned our lives with their concrete Form…
Have you ever prayed that God would allow you to see your loved one before they leave this world? Have you ever been diagnosed with a frightening illness…only to discover that you do not have the malady? Have you ever been cognizant of the presence of your Guardian Angle while you were undergoing trauma?
The Happy Traveler 
I had one thing I wanted to say before reading the full post. Then I saw something that took my breath away in remembering, so: Now there are two!
(1) Brown writes about “ordinary courage” (https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/737201-courage-is-a-heart-word-the-root-of-the-word). We’ve come to code the word “courage” as meaning these YUGE BATTLE MOMENTS, when really? Ordinary, beautiful courage is maybe, more … simply about speaking our minds, even when our voices shake. I am coming more by the day to see the grace in this courage, and it is marking my soul.
(2) You ask if we’ve ever hoped for someone to hold on long enough for us to say goodbye. I have had such a moment; until I really leaned all the way in to my “ordinary courage” work, though, I could only see a fraction of the grace. My Grampa G stopped taking his medicine, many years ago, when I was a sixteen-hour drive away. I told him, “Please do not leave before I have a chance to hug you one more time. Please hang on.” He said he’d try; when I did reach him, I hugged him, I told him how much I loved him, and saw this lightness ease across his face. To me, it looked in that moment like he was already hearing heavenly choirs.
When he died a couple hours later, my heart was broken, that he was gone. But it was full, too, that he hung on long enough for me to say goodbye,
the full grace of which I can, more truly and deeply, now feel. Thank you. ❤
Thank you for beautiful memory.