For your consideration…
Who knew that there were so many songs with the lyrics, “You don’t know what you got til it’s gone.” When I first pulled a few up, I knew immediately that they were not the right song. Why does it matter? Because the feeling of today’s message is funny and gentle and most of those songs are slow and sad. The song delivering today’s message is Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi.” The reoccurring lines in it are, “Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone.”
I knew the right Big Yellow Taxi was the right song, because to me the music has always seemed at odds with the message. The lyrics are about noticing change. While the message isn’t exactly upbeat the music is. Like a lot of fold music, it is delivering a message with gentle persuasion.
Today’s message feels like your when your mom looks at you and shakes a finger at you with a smile on her face…not really chastising you but gently reminding you of some food for thought. That is how today’s message feels.
It is not doom and gloom. It simply is asking us to notice. Nothing in life is guaranteed. And out message gently reminds us that the best way to notice is by making gratitude a regular practice in our everyday life.
That is the HOPE. And so it is.
Bit by bit, piece by piece, HOPE by HOPE action steps anyone can take…
-Affirm…“I am loved.”
-Meditate/pray…ask…”What is my next step for my highest good and the highest good of all?”
-Drink lots of water.
-Get outdoors and take in at least 10 deep breaths….even if it is freezing.
-Practice gratitude.
What made me smile yesterday….
-An absolutely wonderful day with my young 5, kidpeople.
-Volunteering at a holiday part at our club. It is hard not to have Christmas spirit when you are surrounded by it.
-Bad news. Bruce says, “Chris, I have to warn you. Moose was a bad boy and chewed up your computer.” Good news is, somehow he found a box I had between a chair and cabinet that had an old keyboard in it. He managed to get it out and chew up the box. My computer is fine.
-But come on, you have to laugh that Bruce does not know a keyboard from a computer.
-I slipped activity books from the dollar store in the kidpeople’s backpacks while they were at art. I had HOPEd they would be surprised when they got home but, of course, they had art work to put in them so they discovered them. You would have thought I delivered the moon to them.
Love, Blessings and Gratitude,
Rev. Chris
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