Balloon Surprise

As I was getting my first cup of coffee about 6:30 this morning, I glanced out the window to a balloon landing in the field behind the house. How cool!! I grabbed my camera and began taking pictures. If you've never heard the sound a balloon burner makes, think huge dragon with a severe breathing problem. It's a very scary sound if you don't know what it is. I had let my little dog out to see what was making that strange noise and she of course started barking at it, then she ran and hid under the table on the patio. I let her back into the house and she headed straight underneath the bed, just barely peeking ner nose out to look at me, the little coward! It was too funny.

After landing the balloonist performed a charming little ceremony to show thanks for a safe landing, popping the cork on a bottle of champagne with which to drink a toast. To the side helpers were taking the balloon down.

I found watching the balloon deflate to be very unsettling to me. It lurched like a drunken sailor as the hot air quickly rushed out and cooler air replaced it, allowing the silky, brightly colored material to sink to the ground. Unwieldy and vulnerable as it awkwardly lay down on its side, it seemed dangerously exposed to any sudden gust of wind or other calamity.

You will note the neighbor hasn't mowed the field down yet this year and there is the usual forest of 7-10 ft. tall thistles spread out everywhere. Before deflating the balloon a man was out pulling thistles up in the path of the balloon so it wouldn't land on them and tear it. The whole process was quite interesting to watch, especially since they were close enough for me to hear what was being said. Sound carries beautifully on the clear morning air.

As I was looking at the pictures afterwards, I saw a lesson in the photos and thought I'd share it here. As I pondered the pics and the unsettled feeling I was experiencing, I began to see a parallel to life in this little tableau. God was talking. I chose to listen.

Many people are like that balloon drifting through life blown about by the gentle breezes, putting down here and there. Being up on the heights like that is a heady thing that gives you a whole different perspective on life. And then there's the coming back to earth part where you land in a forest full of thistles, i.e., danger.

To me the thistles represent the presence of sin in the world. It's unavoidable. It's dangerous and threatening. You can pull a few up here and there, but their twins are standing just a few feet away, ready to burst into full bloom and spread their seeds wherever the wind will take them. Seeds of rebellion, violence, discontent, gossip, depression and even foolishness, are like those thistles. You can work at getting them out of your life but there is more just waiting in the wings to take over if you don't stay actively vigilant. The bible says the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

I'm truly not a pessimist, but I like to think I'm a realist. Reality is often very disturbing and some people prefer to remain up in the air above it, ignoring it's very existence. Realists see that as a dangerous position to remain in as it leaves you exposed and vulnerable to any enemy looking for an opportunity to wreak havoc. It also leaves you defenseless. Not a good thing.

It's interesting how there are lessons in every thing around us, how God is constantly talking to us. Unfortunately, we often don't listen because of distractions, busyness, and just plain doubt and unbelief. Few seem to even see the roses anymore, let alone take time to stop and smell them. What a pity.

Your comments are welcome. Please feel free to do so below.

A Change of Heart



Mother is dying. I can't stop it. She can't stop it. And neither can the doctors. Short of a miracle from the Lord, soon she will be gone from this physical world.



Photo by Susan Leslie



It seems the majority of people with cancer linger. That is, they die slowly, bit by bit. My dad died almost instantly of an aneuryism sixteen years ago, and I've often asked the Lord to let me die quickly like that, especially since going through this journey of being mom's 'caregiver' through the last year and a half. It's been a very painful time on so many levels for both of us. I've thought of my own children possibly having to go through something similar with me down the road and it tears my heart apart.

But recently I've had a change of heart.

I would never have understood what I now know without having gone through the last eighteen plus months. The situation has caused me to examine my thinking and my way of doing things and make some much needed changes. The emotional upheaval we have both experienced at times has been shockingly horrible and scary, but without this time and opportunity to work things through, neither one of us would be at the place of peace in which we now find ourselves. We have finally, after all these years, become comfortable with one another. What a precious gift from the Lord! But for the grace of God.

All of this is a reminder that no matter how awful or terrible, how frighteningly scary and out of control a situation may be to us, or how blind we may be to everything but what we are currently going through, the Lord is unceasingly, lovingly at work in the background making all things work together for our good. When we enter into that place of rest in the here and now, we see death for what it is—a temporary rite of passage that moves us from the temporal to the eternal, reminding us that the sting of death truly is swallowed up in victory. Death becomes merely a doorway into that place of continued, eternal, sweet rest in the arms of our Lord. And therein lies our hope.

I am a Writer!

I am working my way through a 15-day course called the Great Writers Series by Jeff Goins and today is day 1. The challenge for today is to declare yourself a writer. You have to believe and declare, and not necessarily in that order.

What we really believe in our hearts plays such an important role in our lives every day. It is out of those heart-held beliefs that we think, do and say; how we respond or react in any given situation. "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he," says the Bible.

We need to know what we know but I don't think very many people really do. From my life and observations I think we all live out of a faulty perception of self because it's scary and a lot of hard work to face the things buried inside everyone of us.

I have considered myself an artist but I'm still struggling with believing that I'm a writer, and a very prolific one even if most of it has been unread by others. So, today, I declare myself a writer!! Whoo-hooo!!

What do you believe to be true about yourself? What do you want to believe to be true about yourself? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

Quote for the day:
Place your hand over your heart. Do you feel that? That's called a purpose. You're alive for a reason. Don't ever forget it! Don't ever give up!  - Lessons Learned in Life

Introducing Ramblin Susan

I ran the name for this blog by my mother. She thought it was appropriate. I'm not sure I want to delve into why she smiled as she said that. And so, we begin…

We all have perceptions about ourselves and our world and those perceptions are unique to each one of us. I perceive myself as a student of life, a creative individual—mom, artist, writer, photographer, etc.—who loves the joy of discovery and constantly growing into a more well-rounded person. I've been learning about blogging so this is my 'doing' part.

Combining words with graphics is my favorite thing to do. My current project involving those two things is my very own illustrated book of quotes coffee table book. The picture at right is the cover

I love quotes and have been collecting for quite some time now so it was past time to do something with them. There is also a perpetual calendar of quotes project in the works as well, but it's still more in the planning stage.

It's always interesting to see how others perceive us and I'm looking forward to getting some feedback while hopefully getting a myriad of opportunities to meet new people.

One last thought (excerpt from a poem by Marilyn Maciel, called “clothesline”)

i

you

us

them

those people

wouldn’t it be lovely

if one could

live

in a constant state

of we?

some of the most

commonplace

words

can be some of the biggest

dividers

they

what if there was

no they?

what if there

was only

us?