Ch ch ch changes

Sitting here eating my high protein supper before going walking in a half hour or so. I have lost a few #s since being here in Dallas but after a weekend in KC I'm wondering how many I gained back. Whatever, it was a very good weekend spend with my honey and some friends and neighbors. Honey the cat was even glad to see me. She was quiet nice to me. We hope to get around to some kind of visit with others also before we are totally not there anymore. So I'll just get back into my walking routine and I think I'll be OK sharing meals with people I love and enjoy.

I'm here with the dogs and the cats this week. Shannon is on a long awaited vacation at the beach. Ya'll pray for me now.

But I'm thinking about changes going on all around me. Somebody once said that change is the one constant thing you can depend on - or something like that. Not an exact quote so I guess I don't have to credit anyone.

This past week we found out that a family that has been on a journey toward change for over a year are finally making their move. And they've done a whole bunch of changing in the meantime. This couple was part of our "house church" (I use that term loosely) in KC. For about a year and a half we were all there and faithful every week unless something was up. Then the Glen's started talking about changes, then the Rodriguez's did. Nothing happened for them for a while and then I said I was changing locals and in a few months I was gone. The the Rodriguez's made their move to a hotter place than me AND Ms. J suddenly up and went to the same place as the Rod's. Then the Lewis's - well they didn't leave KC but they just bought a home VERY quickly as things fell into place. The Zeigler's so far are the steady rocks but still as others move away their life is changing also by default.

Whew! and then there's my family. The mother of our two oldest grandchildren decided to move to Austin this summer. (Not too far and God had prepared my heart) She went for a few days, landed an excellent job and got an apartment and next thing you know it's happening. TODAY as a matter of fact. Except for the oldest who is going to live with her dad for a while instead. My other grandchildren I saw some when I first moved here but then things changed and I don't get to see them right now. There are changes in our family as our son works out some things in his life. Shan has been going through some changes too since her Mom came to stay - we've had to work on some relationship changes. Nothing major - just conversing and seeing who this other person is. And her job situation is changing so that's going to effect me too in some ways.


Changes.

That seems like a lot of personal stuff and I've tried not to really say very much because I don't really feel like I have the right to be talking about people other than me. But this is about me. When the people I love are going through changes - so am I. Change is not necessarily about the physical or - like - location changes. Outward change produces inward change. Sometimes I think God orchestrates outward changes in order to effect inward changes. And sometimes the inward changes that we experience are brought about by the changes in other's lives rather than our own. This is all a good argument for holding each other loosely isn't it?

I think it's also a good argument for learning to find that common thread that runs between us - whoever the "us" is made of. That thread will be different for Larry and I and our son and daughter than it will be between us and the couples that we were a part of in house church and the spiritual family that we have here in Dallas. One thing we can do is love. There's a good common thread. I personally like to define love as a verb - something that finds expression that the other person can feel. Sometimes that's not possible but I believe that when we think of someone and we feel that love in our heart for them and our thoughts for them are good and Godward then we can as the expression of our love offer these thoughts up as a prayer and an intercession for them. They might not know it's happening or ever know that it happened but the record is in heaven and God is a good record keeper - as least of these good things. I hear he keeps no record of wrongs. And if we keep love alive in us and our doors open then changes don't mean loss. They really mean that our lives will be enriched by the experiences of each other when the time is right for sharing.

Could this be what prayers being offered up from our heart looks like??