New toothpaste…

photo credit: Bing Image Creator

I didn’t get it at first… We visited a longtime family friend the other day, and as soon as we walked in the door he gave me a gift bag with a tube of toothpaste in it. I jokingly asked if he’d been to the dentist lately, but only as we were leaving did the significance of that tube of toothpaste dawn on me. It was in response to my last blog about “eleven-year-old toothpaste.”

Duh! Joe is a jokester, a godly man with a keen wit. His fun tongue-in-cheek gift was a way of saying…

  • Hey, Mare! I read what you wrote! (He always calls me Mare, which reminds me of high school days when I was nicknamed “Mare-with-the-hair” because of my long hair!)
  • I care about you… and want to make sure you have some good, fresh — not eleven-year-old — toothpaste.

Something little. Something that, as my lack of initial observation testifies, went unnoticed. Was overlooked.

This made me wonder…

  • How many times do I miss the little, seemingly insignificant cues in conversations and gestures?
  • How often, in my rush to say what I’m thinking, do I miss what the other person may be wanting to say?
  • How often am I preoccupied with who-knows-what and fail to see — to really see — what’s going on around me?
  • This was a face-to-face encounter — and I missed it. So what happens when our only “cues” are what we hear in a voice during a non-video call? or what we see in a text?
  • With the absence of visual cues, how often do we improperly interpret what we hear or see? How easily might we jump to wrong conclusions? or fill in the blanks with our own, limited understanding?

Anxiety or worry in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good, encouraging word makes him glad/cheers him up.

— from the Wisdom Literature of the Bible: Proverbs 12:25

Our words, our gestures, our countenance all convey a message. We have the ability to make a difference — if we are attentive to what’s being said or done around us. To cheer someone up. To communicate that they are important. Valued. Seen. Heard.

Like Joe’s gift bag with a new tube of toothpaste communicated to me.

May we encourage one another to pay attention to the little — and perhaps not-so-little — things we see and hear so that we don’t miss the cues in our interactions with one another. And in so doing, together we can have joy in the journey of this thing called “Life!”

PS

Should I — or shouldn’t I — use the eleven-year-old toothpaste??? What do you think???

Eleven-year-old toothpaste?!?

Eleven-year-old toothpaste?!?

Screenshot

When we returned to our home country two months ago we anticipated that our tropically-acclimated bodies would be in for a shock. After all, we hadn’t really experienced “winter” for a while! What we didn’t anticipate was that we’d have one snowstorm not even two weeks after returning — and then another one last week. To make matters worse, the temperatures have been as low as MINUS 2F (minus 19C) — at least the “feels like” temps!

Thankfully, I found my winter boots, which had been in storage ever since we left for Southeast Asia eleven years ago. AND I found them before the most recent snowstorm! YAY!!! But I also found some things I had no idea I had stored… like a tube of toothpaste. Why on earth did that end up in one of the boxes?!? Would it even be good anymore? Does toothpaste have an expiration date??

Finding that eleven-year-old tube of toothpaste made me think about what all was happening back when I was packing those boxes… preparing to move… wondering about life in a new country… emotionally being both excited and scared.

We’re on the flip side of that now. We’ve left the tropics, and now I’m wondering about life in this new country — being both excited and, in all honesty, a little scared.

I shared in an earlier post (see link below) how my husband and I try to do an annual year-end evaluation. One of the questions we ask ourselves is “How are you different this year from the previous year?” Having moved two months ago and having started a new chapter of our lives I’m wondering how I might be different now from when we left here eleven years ago? What might be some things I’ve learned/ things I’ve needed to UNlearn? As a Christ follower, has His image in my life become clearer/more evident?

I’m continually challenged when I read God’s Word. It’s designed to be like a flashlight that dispels the darkness, that lights the way, that reveals what’s lurking in the shadows and beneath the surface. There are portions of this Book that I’ve read over and over again — and yet that still give me pause. Am I applying what it says? What triggers cause my responses to — ahem! — NOT be in line with what I’m reading? How can my life more genuinely reflect its truths? What do I need to admit to? What do I need to change?

The past couple of weeks I’ve been reading two letters that the apostle Paul wrote to his protege Timothy. Paul was old. He was in prison. But he was wanting to encourage young Timothy and those he was responsible for to live lives beyond reproach, to recognize the importance of orderliness in the church, to realize that following Christ involves both risk and sacrifice, to understand that in the “last days” things were going to get ugly. There are a lot of instructions given! But a couple of things jumped out at me:

  • In describing qualifications for church leaders, Paul refers to women being sober-minded (I Timothy 3:11). Hmm… what does THAT mean? One source described sober-minded as having a steady, balanced, self-controlled mind anchored in truth. The opposite is being in a mental fog, impulsive living, unchecked emotions, cultural intoxicaton.1 That got me to thinking… how well anchored am I in God’s truth? Am I self-controlled when it comes to my mind — what I choose to dwell on? How big a role does “cultural intoxication” play in my life, i.e. does social media take up too much of my time? inform my decisions? Gulp. A lot to ponder.
  • Paul also challenged the believers to “pursue righteousness… godliness… faith… love… steadfastness… gentleness” (I Timothy 6:11). How am I doing regarding these things? What do I need to change? do differently?
  • “… show perfect courtesy to all people” (2 Timothy 3:2). Wow. Talk about something practical! Courtesy sometimes seems like an old-fashioned concept, and yet it’s one of those things that is never out of date. And it’s to be shown to EVERYONE… no exceptions!

I’m still not sure what I’m going to do with my eleven-year-old tube of toothpaste, but I’m hoping that the person who discovered it a couple of weeks ago is different from the person who packed it back then — in a good sense! And that you, dear reader, will be encouraged as you continue with me to have joy in the journey of this thing called “Life!”

  1. bible hub.com “What does it mean to be ‘sober-minded’ in today’s world?” ↩︎
Dress rehearsal…

The missing lyrics…

photo credit and license: Computer Gremlin by Larry Wentzel

Aaarrgh…. I’m beginning to think there is a gremlin living in my laptop! The lyrics to “Thank You for This Year” by Elohim Songs that I thought had been in yesterday’s post somehow mysteriously disappeared from the email version that was sent. Two failed attempts… so here goes number three… but hopefully, as the saying goes, “the third time’s a charm.”

Thank You, thank You Lord

Thank You for this year.

For every morning that I woke

for every breath, for every hope

for all the blessings I could see

and those you gave invisibly

for answered prayers and those still held

for stories written, stories yet to tell

for laughter shared and tears You dried

thank You, Lord, for this year’s ride.

Through the highs and through the lows

through the joys and through the woes

You were there in every way

so I lift my voice today…

Thank You for this year

for every moment, every tear…

for holding me close, so near…

for blessings seen and unseen…

for everything it’s been

for friends who walked beside me here

for family held both far and near

for open doors and lessons learned

for every bridge that You have burned

for strength when I had none to give

for grace that taught me how to live

for second chances, fresh new starts

thank You, Lord, with all my heart.

You’ve been so good to me this year

Your faithfulness so crystal clear

I can’t keep silent anymore

my gratitude is overflowing more…

For trials that became my strength

for waiting seasons, perfect length

for disappointments turned to gold

for stories only You could mold

for healings, breakthroughs, victories won

for battles fought, for races run

for quiet mercies every day

thank You, Lord, in every way.

How can I thank You enough?

For all You’ve done, for all Your love?

My words fall short but still I say

Thank You, Lord, thank You today.

For January’s hope

for December’s grace

for every month between

I’ve seen Your faithful face

for Spring’s new life, for Summer’s warmth

for Autumn’s change, for Winter’s calm

every season bore Your mark.

You’ve been faithful from the start…

Thank You for three hundred sixty-five

Thank You for keeping me alive

for every sunrise

for every sunset

for every moment

I won’t forget

Thank You for all You’ve done!

My heart is full!

My cup runs over

with thanksgiving…

Thank You for Your presence

Thank You for Your guidance

Thank You for Your mercy

Thank You for Your love.

As this year comes to a gentle close

I count the blessings, everyone I know

not because my life was perfect,

free from pain

but because through it all, You remained.

Thank You for this year

every high and low

…. for helping me to grow

Thank You for this year

and for the year to come…

— lyrics from “Thank You for This Year” by Elohim Songs

Goodbye 2025… Hello 2026!!!

I happened upon a new song — released December 27th — that expresses a lot of what is on my heart these days…

Thank You, thank You Lord

Thank You for this year.

For every morning that I woke

for every breath, for every hope

for all the blessings I could see

and those you gave invisibly

for answered prayers and those still held

for stories written, stories yet to tell

for laughter shared and tears You dried

thank You, Lord, for this year’s ride.

Through the highs and through the lows

through the joys and through the woes

You were there in every way

so I lift my voice today…

Thank You for this year

for every moment, every tear…

for holding me close, so near…

for blessings seen and unseen…

for everything it’s been

for friends who walked beside me here

for family held both far and near

for open doors and lessons learned

for every bridge that You have burned

for strength when I had none to give

for grace that taught me how to live

for second chances, fresh new starts

thank You, Lord, with all my heart.

You’ve been so good to me this year

Your faithfulness so crystal clear

I can’t keep silent anymore

my gratitude is overflowing more…

For trials that became my strength

for waiting seasons, perfect length

for disappointments turned to gold

for stories only You could mold

for healings, breakthroughs, victories won

for battles fought, for races run

for quiet mercies every day

thank You, Lord, in every way.

How can I thank You enough?

For all You’ve done, for all Your love?

My words fall short but still I say

Thank You, Lord, thank You today.

For January’s hope

for December’s grace

for every month between

I’ve seen Your faithful face

for Spring’s new life, for Summer’s warmth

for Autumn’s change, for Winter’s calm

every season bore Your mark.

You’ve been faithful from the start…

Thank You for three hundred sixty-five

Thank You for keeping me alive

for every sunrise

for every sunset

for every moment

I won’t forget

Thank You for all You’ve done!

My heart is full!

My cup runs over

with thanksgiving…

Thank You for Your presence

Thank You for Your guidance

Thank You for Your mercy

Thank You for Your love.

As this year comes to a gentle close

I count the blessings, everyone I know

not because my life was perfect,

free from pain

but because through it all, You remained.

Thank You for this year

every high and low

…. for helping me to grow

Thank You for this year

and for the year to come…

— lyrics from “Thank You for This Year” by Elohim Songs

Yes, like the songwriter I have a lot to be thankful for as we say goodbye to 2025 and welcome 2026. In the joys and pains, the victories and failures, the straight paths and crooked ones God can be trusted. May you be encouraged as you reflect on what He has done in the past and look expectantly to what He will do in the future…. and together, we can have joy in the journey of this thing called “Life!”

Unfortunately, I was unable to embed this, but you can listen to the song on YouTube or Spotify.

Goodbye 2025… Hello 2026!!!

I happened upon a new song — released December 27th — that expresses a lot of what is on my heart these days…

Thank You, thank You Lord

Thank You for this year.

For every morning that I woke

for every breath, for every hope

for all the blessings I could see

and those you gave invisibly

for answered prayers and those still held

for stories written, stories yet to tell

for laughter shared and tears You dried

thank You, Lord, for this year’s ride.

Through the highs and through the lows

through the joys and through the woes

You were there in every way

so I lift my voice today…

Thank You for this year

for every moment, every tear…

for holding me close, so near…

for blessings seen and unseen…

for everything it’s been

for friends who walked beside me here

for family held both far and near

for open doors and lessons learned

for every bridge that You have burned

for strength when I had none to give

for grace that taught me how to live

for second chances, fresh new starts

thank You, Lord, with all my heart.

You’ve been so good to me this year

Your faithfulness so crystal clear

I can’t keep silent anymore

my gratitude is overflowing more…

For trials that became my strength

for waiting seasons, perfect length

for disappointments turned to gold

for stories only You could mold

for healings, breakthroughs, victories won

for battles fought, for races run

for quiet mercies every day

thank You, Lord, in every way.

How can I thank You enough?

For all You’ve done, for all Your love?

My words fall short but still I say

Thank You, Lord, thank You today.

For January’s hope

for December’s grace

for every month between

I’ve seen Your faithful face

for Spring’s new life, for Summer’s warmth

for Autumn’s change, for Winter’s calm

every season bore Your mark.

You’ve been faithful from the start…

Thank You for three hundred sixty-five

Thank You for keeping me alive

for every sunrise

for every sunset

for every moment

I won’t forget

Thank You for all You’ve done!

My heart is full!

My cup runs over

with thanksgiving…

Thank You for Your presence

Thank You for Your guidance

Thank You for Your mercy

Thank You for Your love.

As this year comes to a gentle close

I count the blessings, everyone I know

not because my life was perfect,

free from pain

but because through it all, You remained.

Thank You for this year

every high and low

…. for helping me to grow

Thank You for this year

and for the year to come…

— lyrics from “Thank You for This Year” by Elohim Songs

Yes, like the songwriter I have a lot to be thankful for as we say goodbye to 2025 and welcome 2026. In the joys and pains, the victories and failures, the straight paths and crooked ones God can be trusted. May you be encouraged as you reflect on what He has done in the past and look expectantly to what He will do in the future…. and together, we can have joy in the journey of this thing called “Life!”

Unfortunately, I was unable to embed this, but you can listen to the song on YouTube or Spotify.

Fare thee well…

photo credit: http://www.postermywall.com

Well, we made it. My husband and I have been back in our home country a week now. Moving from the tropics to a wintry climate, exchanging flip flops and shorts for multiple layers and yet still being cold… it’s an adjustment to be sure! A crackling fire on the TV screen gives the illusion of warmth and coziness. But hey, I’ll do anything I can to fool my body into thinking I’m warm!

The past two months have been a whirlwind of goodbyes, closing out bank and internet and phone accounts, selling our car, rehoming most of our possessions so that we could travel with only four suitcases (three of the four being overweight, but thankfully the airlines were gracious!), scurrying to be all done with packing and moving so that we could have our “boat days….”

When I took time a couple of days ago to reflect on all that has transpired, I realized that our current physical tiredness is partly due to jet lag — after all, there’s a twelve-hour time difference from where we lived to where we now are! But probably more of the exhaustion comes from fatigue. Decision-fatigue. Moving-fatigue. Goodbye-fatigue.

In other words, emotionally draining stuff.

Back in August I wrote about the importance of building a R.A.F.T. (see link below) The acronym refers to key elements to leaving a place well so that one can enter the next place well.

  • R = Reconciliation: making sure relationships are right.
  • A = Affirmation: acknowledging what others have said or done to encourage us, to help make our stay here meaningful.
  • F = Farewells: saying goodbye to people, places, possessions… AND allowing others to “farewell” you.
  • T = Think destination: thinking about what happens next.

My husband, who is an introvert and behind-the-scenes type of guy, wasn’t so sure about the farewell stuff. I didn’t nag or pressure him — really! He saw that it was important to me, and so acquiesced. Two events in particular ended up being a huge encouragement to both of us… and helped us to see the value of being “farewelled.” Those events provided a sense of closure to a major chapter in our lives. They helped us to say goodbye. To prepare mentally and emotionally for this next chapter. To leave well.

This made me wonder… are there any farewells in the Bible??? What, if any, similarities do they have with what we’ve experienced? What can I learn from their example?

When Moses was nearing the end of his life, his parting words to his protege Joshua were…

Be strong and courageous.

Do not fear or be in dread of [the people of the land he was going to conquer],

for it is the Lord your God who goes with you.

He will not leave you or forsake you.

— Deuteronomy 31: 6

When King David’s time to die drew near, he said to his son Solomon…

Be strong….

keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in His ways and keeping His statutes, His commandments. His rules, His testimonies…

— I Kings 2: 2-3

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, He appeared to His disciples before ascending into heaven and said to them…

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

— Matthew 28: 18-20

These farewells included…

  • encouragement to be strong… to be courageous
  • encouragement to not be afraid
  • a reminder that God would be with them… they wouldn’t be alone… He would never leave them or forsake them… He would be with them forever
  • instructions on how to live life according to God’s plans and ways

Yep. Farewells are important. They’re an integral part of life. They help us as we move from one country to another; from one job situation to another; from one season of life to another. From the familiar to the unknown.

We’re not sure what this new chapter of life will look like for us… but we ARE sure that we are not going it alone. That God is with us and will be guiding us. That He’s rooting for us and encouraging us to be strong, to be courageous, to not be afraid.

We’re ever so grateful that we have His Word — the Bible — to instruct us on how to live life according to His plans and ways. And that, dear friends, is how we’ll have joy in the journey of this thing called “Life!”

It’s time to build a R.A.F.T.

Boat days…

 Photo from an exhibit at Mystic Seaport.

In bygone days — before travel by airplane became the norm — moving from one part of the world to another was done by ship. These journeys took weeks or even months. Not like the fast-paced travel we’re so accustomed to these days. Such a journey was fraught with numerous challenges, especially if one was prone to sea-sickness.

And yet there was a significant advantage that our modern era misses out on, namely the advantage of time. Time to adjust to no longer being in familiar surroundings. Time to reflect on the past and look forward to the future. Time to process the myriad of emotions that accompany goodbyes, moving, facing an unknown future. Time to rest. Time to prepare mentally for the next chapter of life.

My husband and I are currently having what a friend described as our boat days.

We intentionally moved out of our home ten days prior to our departure (by plane — not by boat!) to our home country. We did this so that we would have time… Time to begin the adjustment process of leaving what has become familiar to re-engaging with what was once known but now different. Time to reflect on the past years — 46+ since we first left our home country — and contemplate what the future may look like. Time to process SO very many emotions as we’ve been saying goodbye to dear friends, to familiar places, to life and a lifestyle that will be redefined soon. Time to catch our breath and get much needed rest. Time to take long walks and talk about what has been and what will possibly be.

Yes, our boat days have been much-needed. A definite blessing.

And yet it struck me earlier today that in a sense we’re now homeless. Some of our belongings have already preceded us to our home country; others (four suitcases full — and I mean FULL!) will accompany us when we fly out next week. We don’t yet have a permanent home. That’s one of the things we’ll be figuring out in the coming year. So we’re in this crazy in-between time of no longer calling here “home,” not having a “home” to move into, not being sure where “home” is.

A recent song I’ve been listening to has been a balm to my soul during this time.

In His presence I’m home again.
My soul finds rest.
My soul finds friend.

In His Presence: Be Still and Know by Praise & Bars

In His presence I’m home again.

In God’s presence… I’m already home! And so where I am geographically, whether or not I’m in a house or apartment or camping in the wilds, whether or not I feel or am homeless… I’m actually already home! And because God never changes, will never give up on or forsake me, and is always faithful and looking out for my good I can rest in knowing that all will be well. All IS well.

And that, dear friends, is how I intend to continue having joy in the journey of this thing called “Life!”

The Big Purge…

Aarrrghhh… My LEAST favorite task when moving is going through the mountain of paperwork that “somehow” seems to accumulate. With only 31 days — YIKES!!! — until we hop on an airplane and leave this place that has been home for almost eleven years, I finally began tackling the dreaded project last week.

Yep. I confess. I’m both a procrastinator and a hoarder. Not a full-scale/all-out hoarder — just one who hangs on to receipts and travel itineraries and notes from phone calls and sentimental “stuff” and…. well, I think you get the picture!

My husband, on the other hand, is a minimalist. He’s the only person I know who has an EMPTY in-box on his computer. More than once, though, I’ve rescued him when he deleted an email he felt wasn’t important but had forwarded to me “just in case.”

Our first experience purging things was after we’d been married one year. We were moving from the Pacific Northwest to the East Coast of America in preparation for eventually moving overseas. We realized we couldn’t cart a lot of “stuff” around the world, and so agreed to get rid of things that both sets of parents had given us when we first got married — things that had taken up space in their homes up until our marriage, things like university textbooks, course notes, a drawing of “The Three Billy Goats Gruff” I’d done in third grade. I know. Pathetic, right?! One thing my husband PROMISED not to throw away was any correspondence between the two of us prior to getting married.

As we were throwing boxes of “stuff” into the landfill, three guesses what fluttered out of a box and into the air?!? A letter he had written me!!! Needless to say, I was not pleased… and he was in the doghouse for a while.

Now, all these years later, we have been doing the same thing: getting rid of “stuff” we no longer need. “Stuff” that literally would weigh us down — especially since we’re only taking four suitcases when we leave, and each can only weigh 23 kgs (50 lbs)!

Hmm… All this makes me think about other “stuff” in my life that may be weighing me down. “Stuff” that may hinder my ability to keep my focus on God. “Stuff” that robs my contentment and instead fuels anxious thoughts. “Stuff” that causes me to easily take offense and get irritable.

The writer of Hebrews in the New Testament of the Bible puts it this way:

… let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before this. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith… chapter 12 verses 1-2

Besides all the papers I’m purging, I need to do some personal purging these days: stripping off any and everything that may be tripping me up. Dealing with wrong attitudes and perspectives. Not making mountains out of molehills. Dealing with any sin that the Holy Spirit convicts me of.

Oh, the joys of moving! Thankfully, a time of purging is good — not just for our physical well-being, but even more so for us spiritually. And the biggest benefit — it’s one way we can continue to have joy in the journey of this thing called “Life!”

Empty shoes…

They were the first thing I saw when we returned to my parents’ home from the hospital. Returned home from sitting vigil with my dad the final hours before his death. Returned home to an eerie emptiness that sucked the life out of me.

Daddy’s empty shoes.

I remember the surreal feeling in the hospital parking lot with my mom, brother, and sister. We had said our final goodbyes. Signed all the necessary papers. Zombie-like, we walked in silence to the car.

I remember feeling like the world as I had known it had ceased. There was a disconnect when seeing others laughing, smiling, continuing on with life as though nothing had happened. Nothing earth-shattering HAD happened in their worlds, but in mine… April 25th would never again be “just another day.” It would forever be the day my Daddy died.

That was over twenty years ago, and yet recently I’ve been grappling with similar emotions.

We’ve been counting down from 100 days until our departure from Thailand. Forty-two days until we leave this place that has been home for almost eleven years. Forty-two days before moving to our home country. Forty-two days until we are no longer “expats living abroad,” which has been part of our identity since 1979.

We’re in that surreal in-between time of disengaging from life here before re-engaging in another country, our “home” country. It’s strange to be with friends as they talk about plans for the upcoming Christmas season — realizing we won’t be here to go to the Christmas markets (always a great place to find unique, homemade gifts), watch the play a local theater group puts on each year, attend our church’s Christmas breakfast and service, take in a special holiday concert. It’s strange to realize we will no longer be a part of normal life here.

Yep. Life goes on.

Without us.

This is, of course, natural. OK. It happens! But just like my dad’s death, the finality associated with any kind of change means loss. And loss necessitates that it be acknowledged. And grieved.

I’ve been spending quite a bit of time lately reading and meditating on Psalm 121. Six times in this short psalm the word “keeps/keeper” is used:

… He who keeps you will not slumber.

…. He who keeps Israel with neither slumber nor sleep.

… The Lord is your keeper…

… The Lord will keep you from all evil;

… He will keep your life.

… The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

When something is repeated frequently it makes me wonder why. What’s the significance of the word “keeper/keeps”?

“Keep,” in this context, comes from the Hebrew “shamar.” It has the idea of guarding, watching over, attending to carefully.

What an encouragement to me at this stage of our journey to be reminded that my God is guarding me, watching over me, attending carefully to me. He never gets tired. He never sleeps. He’s ever attentive and wants to protect me. He knows my comings and goings — both here and elsewhere. He is with me in ALL of the uncertainties, the changes, the challenges I face.

As I’ve been doing the “100-day countdown,” I’ve been listing things I’m going to miss living here in the tropics and things I’m looking forward to as we move to our home country (see blog post below where I first shared this idea). What’s been happening lately is that several things in the “miss” column have had their flip-side in the “looking forward to” column. For example, missing routine is paired with looking forward to reestablishing routine; missing familiarity with looking forward to eventually having things be familiar again — with an emphasis on the word eventually!

In the midst of change and the disconnect we’re now experiencing, I’m grateful that my husband and I are focusing on and clinging to the One who is the keeper of our souls. Some days my husband does better than I… other days I’m reminding him… but together we’re choosing to have joy in the journey of this thing called “Life!” A journey that has ups and downs, to be sure. But a journey in which God will continue to guard, watch over, and attend carefully to our steps.

It’s time to build a R.A.F.T.

54 seconds…

photo credit: author

I couldn’t find our stash of birthday candles, so a small tea light had to suffice. And then the wind kept blowing out the solitary candle. The end result, though, was good — actually, better than good!

Our neighbor’s wife was out of the country. We wanted to make him feel special on his birthday, in spite of her absence. The four of us enjoy occasionally going out to eat together. Her English is excellent, and even though he understands English well, his ability to communicate is limited. We definitely know what that’s like — how awkward it can be trying to follow and then respond to a conversation in a second language.

And so we axed the idea of taking him out to dinner and came up with the birthday muffin idea instead. An idea that, according to the video we made in the car park of us singing Happy Birthday and giving him the mufin, ended up taking 54 seconds.

After sending his wife the video, she responded with the above text message, which shows how those 54 seconds brought joy. Made her husband feel special. Remembered. Not forgotten.

We live in such a fast-paced world. A world in which it’s easy to feel forgotten. Overlooked. A world that more quickly points out negativity than celebrates good. A world that too often has forgotten to be civil. Kind. Thoughtful.

Do not withhold good
from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power
to do it.

from the Wisdom Literature of the Bible, Proverbs 3: 27

I first came across this verse as a young Christ-follower in university. I was new at applying God’s Word to my life — after all, if it really is true, then it should make a difference in what I say and do, right?!

One way I thought I could apply this was to be intentional in looking for ways to come alongside people to encourage them — to “not withhold good” but rather to say something to build them up. To acknowledge how something they said or did impacted me. To look beyond their countenance to their heart — and let them know they ARE seen. Heard. Valued. Even doing little things — like our 54 seconds birthday celebration — can make a difference.

Too often we — I — miss opportunities to make others feel special, to feel worthy simply because we think it may take too much time or effort. In an era where we have instant everything, isn’t it a bit ironic that we often “don’t have time” to even send a text message? Or is it that we get too busy with our own lives that we fail to see those around us?

Whatever the case, I want to counteract such thinking! And I invite you to join me in looking for ways to encourage others. To come alongside and communicate worth and value to those who may be feeling invisible, misunderstood, insignificant. As we do so, I’m confident we will have increased joy in the journey of this thing called “Life!”