A Lesson I've Learned From Sunrises

Photo by: Drexel Gilbert
© 2014 Drexel Gilbert Enterprises, Inc. 

I made a promise to myself in 2013 to witness more sunrises. I have. In fact, I've taken a picture of the sunrise almost every day for the past several months. The sun is a great teacher. I've learned many lessons from a year of watching it break across the horizon.

Here's a lesson I've learned from sunrises:

Like snowflakes, no two sunrises are the same. Some sunrises are brilliant, with flashes of orange, pink and fuchsia exploding across the azure sky. Some sunrises are shy, with the dawn playing peek-a-boo behind fluffy white clouds that frolic from here to there on the heavenly playground. Some sunrises go into hiding, ducking undercover behind an oppressive gray blanket. The sun is there. It just won't, or can't, come out to play. Some sunrises are just blotted out by storms that rage and howl and screech. The strongest rays of this brightest force still cannot penetrate the black, angry skies.

Like snowflakes.. and sunrises.. no two people are the same. And, no one person is the same every day.

There are days when we will awaken in a blaze of color. We will be ready to embrace the promise of a new day, a new opportunity to write another page in this book that we call life, a new challenge, a new life. Those days will be filled with smiles and laughter and love and promise and joy and hope. They will be filled with brilliant colors and energy and success. We will be bold and adventuresome and confident! We will be spot on! We will score! WE. WILL. WIN!

Then, there will be days of  hesitation. Do we really want to go out and face the day? Or would it be better to hole up and hold back? Maybe we should just take a peek at the life that's going on around us, but then dash back inside. Perhaps we need a brief interlude with friends, colleagues and loved ones followed by a time apart to reflect and plan and debrief.

Some days, we will not want to go outside and play. Period. We are still here. We just need to be alone. Maybe we need some solitude to gain perspective, strength and confidence. Maybe we need to read, write, work, sing, play...or cry.  Alone.

And, some days.... we feel blotted out by the storms. Like the weather, our life seems to be out of control. We may rage against our hurts and fears and anguish. We may howl as turbulent winds whip through the atmosphere that is our life. We may screech in pain and loneliness and emptiness.

And that's okay. Because...

The most important lesson I've learned from sunrises is this:

Another one's a-comin'.

Regardless of how wonderful... or how dreadful... .today has been, tomorrow's sunrise offers a fresh start. Tomorrow's sunrise offers another opportunity to smile, to be kind, to take a chance, to make a friend, to break a bad habit, to start a good habit, to apply for a job, to quit a job,to climb, to build, to create, to reach up, to reach out, to love.... to live.

Photo by: Drexel Gilbert
© 2014 Drexel Gilbert Enterprises, Inc. 

Here comes the sun. 

What will you do with it? 

December Advent-ure: A Time for Hope

Can you believe it? December is here! Really? Already? Impossible! It seems like just yesterday I was writing a New Year's blog reminding all of us of the importance of valuing our TIME! And now... eleven months of TIME are in our rear view mirror. 

What did you do with yours?

I've been skimming my journal entries for the year. There's a fair amount of wasted TIME over the past eleven months, but for the most part, I'm not too unhappy with the way my TIME was spent this year. I've met a lot of wonderful people; formed some awesome new friendships; renewed some amazing old friendships that have made my life richer and more fulfilled; become more involved with an incredible church; gotten healthier--physically, emotionally and spiritually. I've knocked a couple of items off my bucket list.. but there are a lot more to go! There have been some disappointments, setbacks, and not all of my TIME yielded the results I would have liked... but today I was reminded that there is still TIME to live a life that is.. well... a life worth living!

Today is the first Sunday in the season of Advent. Advent is the beginning of the liturgical year for Christians. We light a candle on each of the four Sundays in Advent. Today, the candle was the candle of HOPE. But, 'hope' wasn't the main theme of the sermon. The message was on TIME. In addition to some awesome scriptures, the minister, Dr. Wesley Wachob,  used two quotes in his sermon that took my breath away. One was  from Henry Austin Dobson: "Time stays... we go."


Wow. That reminded me of a conversation I had with my mother this year. She told me that she views TIME in this way: 

There's a stage called "Life." The players enter stage right... move across the stage-- some more slowly, or more quickly, than others--- then exit stage left, even as new players are entering from the opposite side. The stage remains.. the players come and go. Dramas, comedies, tragedies are all played out. And the production goes on...until the end of TIME...whenever that may be.

I turned 55 this year. In years past, I've gotten a bit mopey over the turning of the calendar. Not anymore. When I hit 50, I decided to concentrate on what's still ahead, instead of all the years that are past. So, it's no wonder that the other quote from today's sermon caused my head to spin around a little.
"It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live." (Marcus Aurelius)

The sermon challenged me to consider what God would like for me to do with my TIME, but more than that, to consider what God wants to do with my TIME.  In this season of Advent, I choose to believe that God's plans for my future.. and yours.. and His... are filled with the people, the places and the purposes that will give us a life worth living. In short, as we move through this December Advent-ure, I believe God's plans for our future are filled with HOPE.
  

Just Open Your Mouth and Say It!

"You look very nice."

I heard the male voice just behind my left shoulder, as I made my way through the crowds after a long, hot, tiring day at the Great Gulf Coast Arts Festival in Pensacola, FL. 

I turned and looked at the gentleman who'd fallen in step with me.

Sweaty, disheveled, and and exhausted, I laughed and said, "Wait.. who, me?"

"Yes, you. You look very nice. "

Then, he stopped and said, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be inappropriate."

Normally, I would have just mumbled a quick "thank you" and hurried on. But, he was very sincere, polite and respectful. I sensed that I should also stop. 

So, I did. 

And, I waited.

"I have just decided, 'what the heck' these days.  I have so many friends who have died, are dying, or are sick. Life's too short. If I want to say something nice these days... I just say it."

He hesitated, then looked me in the eye and asked, "Is it okay? What I said to you?"

"Of course," I replied. "And, thank you very much. I actually needed to hear that today."

And, we both moved on... in the opposite directions that led to our respective lives. 

It's funny how a random, 60 second encounter with a total stranger can continue to rattle around in your brain until you finally stop racing from here to there and really consider what was said.

"Life's too short. If I want to say something nice these days... I just say it."

16 little words that are hugely profound.

I began to think about all the missed opportunities I've had to say something nice to someone, to lift someone up, to encourage, to help...to heal. The reasons for letting the moment pass probably seemed good at the time. 

"I'm in a hurry." "They are in a hurry." "I will say something next time." "I don't know them." "They'll reject it." "They'll think I'm weird." And, on and on.

So what?

Life's too short.

In this, the "Thanksgiving month," it's appropriate to be thankful for the time we are given. 24 hours every day to DO SOMETHING. Even if that "something" is just a kind or uplifting word to someone we know... or someone we don't. 


Today, think of what that gentleman said. "If I want to say something nice, I just say it."

So, here's the deal. Let's go out on a limb and say something nice to someone today. Even if it's a total stranger. Perhaps, especially if it's a total stranger. I will if you will!

We may make someone's day. We may make our own day! 

We will almost certainly make good use of our time.

Get Your Head IN the Clouds!

©Drexel Gilbert Enterprises, Inc.

"Get your head out of the clouds!" 

I heard that more than once growing up... from a teacher, a parent, a boss. It was usually an effort to jolt me out of my daydreams of being a writer, speaker or award-winning something-or-other---and into the reality of  classwork, homework, or just plain work. 

©Drexel Gilbert Enterprises, Inc.

I am certain that every adult who ever told me to get my head out of the clouds did so with the best of intentions. They wanted me to focus on the matter at hand that could help me learn, grow and mature. But the more "mature" I become, the more important I realize it is to get your head IN the clouds.

©Drexel Gilbert Enterprises, Inc

We've had beautiful clouds along the Florida Gulf Coast this summer. They are fluffy clouds. God's cotton candy, strewn across a baby-blue blanket of sky. They are cumulus clouds. (I learned that in the Meteorology class I took when I returned to college at the age of 52. Getting my head in the clouds was a good idea after all, it seems.)

Sometimes, I look up and see a bear, a heart, or a puppy dog in the shape of the clouds.

Sometimes the clouds blend into the scenery of a boring drive on Interstate 10. 

©Drexel Gilbert Enterprises, Inc.

©Drexel Gilbert Enterprises, Inc.

Sometimes, the clouds pierce my soul. They part, allowing a bowl of sunshine to spill out and wash over my spirit. That's happened to me twice recently... exactly when I needed it as I stood on a stretch of beautiful beach.

Why do I like to get my head in the clouds?

It allows me to stop confining my thoughts to the box around my brain. I can reach out and explore new opportunities, new ways of doing an old thing, new ways to stretch and grow my faith. 

I'm betting our inventors of the past spent a lot of time with their head in the clouds... imagining new and better ways of life. I imagine a lot of artists, writers and musicians spend a lot of time with their heads in the clouds and we reap the benefits of the jolt those clouds give to their creativity. I imagine the greatest theologians of the past and present spent/spend a lot of time with their head in the clouds, meeting God in one of the most unique elements of His creation.   

I hear it's supposed to be a pretty day tomorrow. There will probably be some fluffy clouds in the sky. Forget what you were told as a kid about getting your head out of the clouds. 

Take a chance. Grab a friend.. old or new...step outside...look up... and get your head in the clouds. 

You have no idea what might happen. 

©Drexel Gilbert Enterprises, Inc.,

Sometimes You Don't Have to Have Eyes to See

     About eight years ago, I met a remarkable young man and his equally remarkable mother. The 7 year old boy was blind. I was watching him play t-ball. He was hitting the ball again, and again, and again! He was living out his dream with thanks to the doctors at St. Jude Children's Hospital who saved his life even when they couldn't save his eyes. He was living out his dream with thanks to his mother who always told him he could do anything he wanted to do... with or without his sight. He was living out his dream thanks to a t-ball coach who took a chance on the little boy who couldn't see with his eyes, but who had great vision of heart. He was living out his dream with thanks to a God who was watching over his every movement, on and off the field.

     

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit with this incredible family once again. Everyone should be so fortunate as to cross the paths of people like this--people with extraordinary faith, hope...and vision. 

I produced a video devotional a few years back, based on some of the people I met... and experiences I had... as a television news anchor. Their story is logged as "The Feature." I'd love for you to watch it... and say a prayer for Jacob and his mom and family. They are doing great and I look forward to updating you on their story very soon!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_frfN511sQ&feature=youtu.be

What's New?

I've been in a funk. You ever get in a funk? 

You know...when your-get-up-and-go has got-up-and-gone? When the creative juices run dry?  When you take two steps forward and six steps back?

Sure you have. It happens to all of us. What do you do and where do you go when you get in a funk?

I head to the water.

This morning, that water was the Gulf of Mexico. I threw off my shoes and just started walking. No plan. No timetable. I just started to walk... putting one foot in front of the other...toward the rising sun.

The water was rough today... stirred up and dark. Not unlike my spirit. Great, I thought. The water is supposed to feed and inspire me... not mirror my grumpiness. But, I just kept walking, putting one foot in front of the other.

I read an article recently about these times in life that I call a "funk." Lots of times they happen after a  period of extreme activity or success. Sometimes they happen when whatever it is we do in life suddenly stalls. Sometimes, they simply show up unannounced and don't have the good manners to just move along, already.

Athletes get in a funk. Their strategy for winning suddenly stalls. They run out of hits, putts and goals. Scientists get in a funk. Their experiments fail. Their beakers break. Their lab rats revolt. Writers get in a funk. The words that race through their minds all the time suddenly put on the brakes. I've even heard that ministers get in a funk. The words of the pages of scripture suddenly just look like... well, words on a page.

How do they get out of a funk? Maybe they try a new coach, a new formula, a new approach...a new Bible. Notice the common denominator?

New.

And, so this morning, I decided to look my funky mood straight in the eye by looking at the stormy water in a new way. I decided to view the crashing waves not as dark and mysterious, but as cleansing. Because, I wondered, what if the waves that come in the 'funky' times of our lives do for us what these waves do for their environment: stir things up, move things around, cleanse?

Maybe it's in the funky times of our lives that negative thoughts get stirred up...loosened up... and shaken off, paving the way for a new strategy, formula or idea. Maybe the pieces of the puzzle that comprise our lives, careers, thoughts and dreams get moved around a bit, so that they fit just a little bit better.  And, as I watched the waves crash onto a shore that was strewn with pieces of broken shells, bits of seaweed and a line of footprints.. I thought that maybe the waves in the funky times of our lives provide a cleansing... as they wash away pieces of this, bits of that, and a line of the other thing...  leaving us with fresh, clean sand to begin the next leg of our journey.

I looked up at precisely that moment and saw this.

The sun began to break through a small opening in the dark sky.

I smiled and snapped the picture. Not sure if I'm out of my funk yet, but I decided that... funk or no funk... I would keep walking, putting one foot in front of the other...toward the new day. 

Chasing the Sun

My eyes flew open at 3:30 a.m. I fought the insomnia monster until 4:30, then cried "uncle" and got up. I figured I could get in an hour or so of quiet time and work before the sun began to rise, and I would get an early start on my morning run. But, just as I opened the door to head out to pound the pavement.. the bottom fell out. Of the sky, that is. Rain, rain, and more rain. I grumped and flumped and stumped around. My first instinct was to go back to bed. That pillow looked really good. But, instead, I flipped on the TV and checked out the local weather radar. The rain was moving away from a nearby beach. So, I jumped in the car, drove across the bridge to that beach, and ended up here.

An hour later, I was exhausted, energized and even-tempered.

As I walked the last few yards for my "cool down," I breathed in the salt air, took in the white sand and the beautiful green water... and, as I stared out at the breathtaking horizon,  it occurred to me that we don't always have to give into the rainy times in our life. Sometimes, if we want to find the sunshine, we have to search for it... we have make an effort to find it... we may even have to chase it down.

And, as I turned from the beautiful Gulf of Mexico and headed toward my car, it also occurred to me that if it hadn't been raining over my head earlier this morning.. I would never have ended up on this beautiful stretch of beach. And, it occurred to me that sometimes...

rain in our life can be a blessing.