Thumbs Up

 

With everything else going on in this yard, and in the yard on either side of this one, I almost missed it. I was caught up in the displays closer to the sidewalk that has been such a part of my life for a year and a half. Fortunately, today something caught my eye and drew my attention to the house itself. There in the brick planter lay a most surprising image. Skeleton arms reaching up from the earth? Not so unusual at Halloween. But skeleton arms reaching up from the earth to flash a double thumbs up? That, my friend, is special. It made me laugh out loud.

Could there be any stronger sign of optimism and positive outlook than this? Some people just have that gift of attitude. They always seem to find something to be grateful for, something to look forward to in the future. Such as these are a blessing to all.

Jesus offers a way to such a life when he said, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?”

Living in such a place of trust can free our minds and hearts to see the beauty around us. If we are not overwhelmed with thoughts concerning what we might not have or with what could possibly happen, we can experience life with a much more open and hopeful attitude. Then, when the hardest things find their way into our lives, we feel sustained and supported by the knowledge that life was not always so difficult and that it will not always remain as it is at the present moment. And that, my friends, can see us through all the ups and downs that come to every life.

Peace.