Sunshine, Water and Rocks

Today's picture was taken early one May morning a couple of miles up the Big Creek Trail in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

I know I am not alone in this, but for whatever reason, it has turned out to be a really tough week.  An unexpected and therefore, unplanned social situation derailed my good intentions again yesterday.  I simply do not deal well with restaurant situations and find that I almost harbor a hidden resentment towards the person who I blame for putting me in a position that I truly don't want to be in.  So it becomes easy to just say, "who gives a flip" and order what I usually order when with this particular person.  The consequences of doing something "different" or trying to offer explanations is just not worth upsetting the apple cart.  Then I'm frustrated for the remainder of the day because I felt I didn't have control and truthfully, really didn't have a choice.  Now I know, you ALWAYS have a choice, but sometimes you also make the decision to just roll with the punches and deal with your own feelings later.  This has almost become less about food and more about changing the relationship with this person.  

Today's picture is a place I return to again and again because I have found such peace sitting on the rock that gives me this view.  I'd like to share with you the things I "see."  In this scene are four primary things of beauty.  1) Sunshine, 2) water, 3) rocks, and 4) brilliant green foilage.  It is a picture of my life.

The SUNSHINE represents God's presence in my life.  Always there, brighter in some places than others, sometimes hidden by clouds, always seeking to be found.  

The WATER represents my life.  It began somewhere up around that bend, so long ago I can hardly remember, but it continues to flow right in front of me now and will continue to rush on by out of sight in to my future which I can't see, but I know is coming. 

The ROCKS represent the trials, difficulties and stumbling blocks of living life on this earth.  Notice that some are huge boulders, some are just large rocks, some are smooth stones, others are tiny pebbles.  Some are fully visible to everyone, some partially hidden and some completely hidden.  In fact, some hidden so completely, even I haven't found them yet.  We are all dealing with the boulder of weight/food issues and it's a big one!  So heavy, it will probably never be completely removed from the water in this lifetime.  You don't need to know all about my rocks - you have enough of your own.  But do take time to notice that, in the picture, you see more rocks than anything else and those are just the ones ABOVE THE SURFACE!! 

The GREEN FOLIAGE represents change.  I have now sat in this exact spot in all four seasons.  Every one looks completely different.   On this day was the beauty of spring.  New growth after a long desolate winter.  Summer will bring an even denser undercover and there will be times it will be hard to see the sunlight even on a clear day.  Fall brings the breathtaking colors for which these mountains are so famous.  It is indescribable, yet depends on the right combination of sunshine, cooler temps and summer rains to put on its best show.  Then comes winter. Bare trees, no green, but sunshine so brilliant one cannot possibly sit here without sunglasses. 

The sun is always shining.  Your understanding of God may be different than mine and that's o.k.  For me, God's presence is always right there shining down on the water of my life, clearly illuminating the rocks, through every season.  Sometimes, I have to change my position in order to get the full benefit of the sunlight, sometimes the rushing water of my life tosses the boulders aside or allows me the comfort of keeping them hidden until I am ready to deal with them. At other times, the water of my life picks up the boulders and carries them along with me.  Perhaps I need to grow more before letting them go or as is often the case with me, I'm too dense to realize all I have to do is DROP them and they'll sink all the way to the bottom.  It's also important to understand that there are always going to be rocks.  The water of my life rushes through the seasons and sometimes, I want to beg it to slow down.  But, oh how I have learned, that the pain and emptiness of winter bursts forth into the new growth and hope of spring.   The dense beauty of summer gives way to the brilliant colors of autumn and then the miraculous circle of life returns to winter.

How does all of this meandering relate to weight loss?  Maybe to you, not at all.  But to me, in the picture, I see a huge boulder almost completely covered by sunlight.  Right now, that's the progress I feel I am making towards my goal, but only in the sunlight of God's help.  Within a couple of hours, that same boulder was probably completely shadowed.  That's kind of how I've felt the last couple of days.  Does that mean the sunlight and progress is gone?  Of course not, it just means that for today, I have to work a little bit harder.  All the while knowing that tomorrow morning, the sunlight will return to my boulder.  The responsibility is always mine to keep the water of my life flowing freely while basking in the sunlight, resting in the shadows, dealing appropriately with my rocks and boulders as I walk through the changing of the seasons.

Thanks so much to all who continue to offer support, take time to comment and have become followers.  I never dreamed I would enjoy this so much.