"And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi,
Let me now go to the field,
and glean ears of corn after him
In whose sight I shall find grace.
And she said unto her, Go, my daughter."
Ruth 2:2 KJV
Ever get one of those odd thoughts in your head that you just can't shake? That happened to me last night as I was working on my latest quilt project and watching TV, but it wasn't just one thought it was four thoughts and all four revolved around the number 13.
Now the number 13 tends to freak some people out, but I've never felt that way, and I'm now thinking that 13 may be one of my lucky numbers. I've been blessed on the 13th and during 2013 . . .
The first thought that came to my mind was that today, January 11th, my granddaughter would be 13 months old. Hardly seems possible that she turned one last month, but now she is 13 months old. She is growing so fast and is quite the center of attention everywhere she goes. And dare I say has the sweetest personality!
The second, ties in with the first, as my granddaughters' mother, my oldest daughter was born on the 13th - of November that is. And yes, she was born on a Friday! She shares her birthday with one of her Grandpas (my father-in-law) and one of her Great-Grandmas (his mother), neither of whom were born on a Friday, but both born on November 13th. Oh, and our Pastor at the time, Dennis, also was born on November 13th! A lucky day, as I had two sons at home and now had a daughter!
Now it was on Friday the 13th of April, in 2007 that I first met several members of Friends Committee on Scouting, an amazing group of Scouting & Guiding Friends, that I ended up joining that weekend! I have learned so much from these Friends and not just about Scouting & Guiding but about being a Quaker. Something for another post? Maybe.
However, those thoughts didn't stick around too long but this one did . . .
So the last '13' that came into my mind last night, and really stuck, had to do with the year 2013, last year, and it's this thought that brings me to writing this post. For me 2013 was an absolutely amazing year and I have shared so much of that with you in my previous posts and with some of you in conversations - in person or on the phone, emails or on Facebook.
But this '13' thing that came to me last night, well it had me going back through all of the blessings that God gave me last year. It made me stop what I was doing, tune out the TV and put aside my quilting for a while and focus, really focus on where I was (at the beginning of 2013), what happened and where I am now as 2014 begins because of all of that. All the experiences . . .
The old F/friends I spent time with, some of those times in new ways and in new places and the new F/friends I met and got to know and spend time with.
The places I went, the places I've been before - Friends Committee on Scouting Annual Meeting and Quaker Haven Camp. And the new places I went - USFWI/QMI Triennial (United Society of Friends Women International/Quaker Men International), Western Yearly Meeting and the Pilgrimage to Ireland & Northern Ireland just to name a few.
I'd have to say that the two that made the biggest impact on my life in 2013 would be the USFWI/QMI Triennial and the Pilgrimage to Ireland/Northern Ireland.
USFWI/QMI Triennial gave me the opportunity to meet not only new Friends from around the US but a lot of new Friends from Kenya as well. It was during the conversations with several of the Kenyan Friends that I learned a bit about their culture that helped prepare me for my upcoming Pilgrimage to Ireland & Northern Ireland.
The Pilgrimage to Ireland & Northern Ireland was an opportunity that took me way beyond my personal and spiritual comfort zone. International travel and going overseas for the first time, the language - although that was more dealing with the accents, the cultural and theological differences. I have said that I never felt like an outsider or visitor, I felt right at home as we traveled and during Ireland Yearly Meeting sessions, and I was at home . . . I was home among Friends!
Both of these experiences allowed me to meet so many new Friends and the conversations and Friendships I made have blessed me more than I could have ever imagined. I will treasure these new Friendships always!
All of these experiences made an impact on my life, some the impacts were small and others huge and in turn I hope through them - the F/friends and places, I've made an impact on the lives of others along the way.
I'm feeling extremely blessed today as I think back to the thoughts that came to my mind last night and as I write this post to share them with you. Blessed by God and so many of you this last year and I thank you for that and for being a part of my life.
I know that each of you reading this has in someway also been blessed by God and others this last year. Take time, right now, to sit in the quiet and reflect back on the blessings that you gave and received in 2013. And then remember this year to be a blessing to someone else and remember that God will continue to bless you in 2014!
Now the number 13 tends to freak some people out, but I've never felt that way, and I'm now thinking that 13 may be one of my lucky numbers. I've been blessed on the 13th and during 2013 . . .
The first thought that came to my mind was that today, January 11th, my granddaughter would be 13 months old. Hardly seems possible that she turned one last month, but now she is 13 months old. She is growing so fast and is quite the center of attention everywhere she goes. And dare I say has the sweetest personality!
The second, ties in with the first, as my granddaughters' mother, my oldest daughter was born on the 13th - of November that is. And yes, she was born on a Friday! She shares her birthday with one of her Grandpas (my father-in-law) and one of her Great-Grandmas (his mother), neither of whom were born on a Friday, but both born on November 13th. Oh, and our Pastor at the time, Dennis, also was born on November 13th! A lucky day, as I had two sons at home and now had a daughter!
Now it was on Friday the 13th of April, in 2007 that I first met several members of Friends Committee on Scouting, an amazing group of Scouting & Guiding Friends, that I ended up joining that weekend! I have learned so much from these Friends and not just about Scouting & Guiding but about being a Quaker. Something for another post? Maybe.
However, those thoughts didn't stick around too long but this one did . . .
So the last '13' that came into my mind last night, and really stuck, had to do with the year 2013, last year, and it's this thought that brings me to writing this post. For me 2013 was an absolutely amazing year and I have shared so much of that with you in my previous posts and with some of you in conversations - in person or on the phone, emails or on Facebook.
But this '13' thing that came to me last night, well it had me going back through all of the blessings that God gave me last year. It made me stop what I was doing, tune out the TV and put aside my quilting for a while and focus, really focus on where I was (at the beginning of 2013), what happened and where I am now as 2014 begins because of all of that. All the experiences . . .
The old F/friends I spent time with, some of those times in new ways and in new places and the new F/friends I met and got to know and spend time with.
The places I went, the places I've been before - Friends Committee on Scouting Annual Meeting and Quaker Haven Camp. And the new places I went - USFWI/QMI Triennial (United Society of Friends Women International/Quaker Men International), Western Yearly Meeting and the Pilgrimage to Ireland & Northern Ireland just to name a few.
I'd have to say that the two that made the biggest impact on my life in 2013 would be the USFWI/QMI Triennial and the Pilgrimage to Ireland/Northern Ireland.
USFWI/QMI Triennial gave me the opportunity to meet not only new Friends from around the US but a lot of new Friends from Kenya as well. It was during the conversations with several of the Kenyan Friends that I learned a bit about their culture that helped prepare me for my upcoming Pilgrimage to Ireland & Northern Ireland.
The Pilgrimage to Ireland & Northern Ireland was an opportunity that took me way beyond my personal and spiritual comfort zone. International travel and going overseas for the first time, the language - although that was more dealing with the accents, the cultural and theological differences. I have said that I never felt like an outsider or visitor, I felt right at home as we traveled and during Ireland Yearly Meeting sessions, and I was at home . . . I was home among Friends!
Both of these experiences allowed me to meet so many new Friends and the conversations and Friendships I made have blessed me more than I could have ever imagined. I will treasure these new Friendships always!
All of these experiences made an impact on my life, some the impacts were small and others huge and in turn I hope through them - the F/friends and places, I've made an impact on the lives of others along the way.
I'm feeling extremely blessed today as I think back to the thoughts that came to my mind last night and as I write this post to share them with you. Blessed by God and so many of you this last year and I thank you for that and for being a part of my life.
I know that each of you reading this has in someway also been blessed by God and others this last year. Take time, right now, to sit in the quiet and reflect back on the blessings that you gave and received in 2013. And then remember this year to be a blessing to someone else and remember that God will continue to bless you in 2014!
No comments:
Post a Comment