Snow was falling as I left the house this morning. That experience certainly did not put a spring in my step. I am psychologically done with winter. It is time for warmer weather, sunshine, and contentment. That is why the picture above from the California coastline is the photo of the day. I prefer that look as opposed to snowfall. (When you look at the photo, what do you predominantly see? I will give some thoughts at the end of this post. Scroll to the bottom to see.)
My hometown area in Missouri is battling floodwaters. I can remember the days of going through backroads looking for a way to get to work around the closed highways. My heart goes out to all who are experiencing the devastation of the flooding in the midwest.
I hopped on Facebook briefly this morning to view updated pictures of the flooding. In the midst of the pain that some folks are feeling, others are obviously unaffected, and the world continues to move as usual. (The political commentary and memes never seem to take a day off.) Even though we are globally connected we still live in our own little pocket of the world.
Social media has been an interesting phenomenon to watch through the years. We are able to view photos and share stories with family and friends all across the world. Some people post almost every thought that crosses their mind while other people only post when something major has occurred. Some of us fall somewhere in between the two extremes. (A few people just stalk others. You know who you are.)
I have frequently marveled at the narrative that some people communicate through their regular posts on social media. Their life looks like the fairy tale many of us imagined as children. Everything appears to be perfect in their world. However, the reality is often a much different story. They struggle with many of the same challenges we each face to one degree or another. Life is not a fairy tale. There are good times and there are difficult times.
The other aspect of social media is the sharing of hurts. People are diagnosed with a serious illness and they ask for our prayers. Others keep their specific dilemma a secret and just ask for prayers. We are sometimes invited into a sacred moment when people share their vulnerability. How do we respond in these instances?
Complaints about "significant others" are not uncommon in social media. Advertising such dirty laundry in the public domain will most likely not help in mending those fences that have been damaged. I wonder how many times people have regretted certain postings after repercussions began to manifest themselves.
Finally, there are a lot of joys and good memories to be shared as well. I taught at Valle Catholic High School from 2003--2005. One of the teachers from my floor of the building, and my assistant basketball coach, revealed that he is retiring at the end of the school year. What an opportunity to recall some of the good times we had together! Congratulations Frank!
On a side note--both of my siblings are joining the ranks of the retired as well. I will admit that I am a little envious. Being the "baby" of the family does not feel so good right now. I wonder if I could start a "Go-Fund-Me" page for my retirement so I could quickly follow in brothers' footsteps. Just a thought....
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What did you see first when you looked at the photo above? Was it the water, the sunshine, the rocks, the cliff, the shadow, or something else? Did the title of my blog simply draw your eyes to the rocks? Do you think our perspectives on life influence the way in which we view a photo such as this?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If you are going through a rocky patch in life, please know of my prayers for you. I lift up in prayer each and every day all who are hurting. There is healing and hope to be found in Jesus Christ.
My hometown area in Missouri is battling floodwaters. I can remember the days of going through backroads looking for a way to get to work around the closed highways. My heart goes out to all who are experiencing the devastation of the flooding in the midwest.
I hopped on Facebook briefly this morning to view updated pictures of the flooding. In the midst of the pain that some folks are feeling, others are obviously unaffected, and the world continues to move as usual. (The political commentary and memes never seem to take a day off.) Even though we are globally connected we still live in our own little pocket of the world.
Social media has been an interesting phenomenon to watch through the years. We are able to view photos and share stories with family and friends all across the world. Some people post almost every thought that crosses their mind while other people only post when something major has occurred. Some of us fall somewhere in between the two extremes. (A few people just stalk others. You know who you are.)
I have frequently marveled at the narrative that some people communicate through their regular posts on social media. Their life looks like the fairy tale many of us imagined as children. Everything appears to be perfect in their world. However, the reality is often a much different story. They struggle with many of the same challenges we each face to one degree or another. Life is not a fairy tale. There are good times and there are difficult times.
The other aspect of social media is the sharing of hurts. People are diagnosed with a serious illness and they ask for our prayers. Others keep their specific dilemma a secret and just ask for prayers. We are sometimes invited into a sacred moment when people share their vulnerability. How do we respond in these instances?
Complaints about "significant others" are not uncommon in social media. Advertising such dirty laundry in the public domain will most likely not help in mending those fences that have been damaged. I wonder how many times people have regretted certain postings after repercussions began to manifest themselves.
Finally, there are a lot of joys and good memories to be shared as well. I taught at Valle Catholic High School from 2003--2005. One of the teachers from my floor of the building, and my assistant basketball coach, revealed that he is retiring at the end of the school year. What an opportunity to recall some of the good times we had together! Congratulations Frank!
On a side note--both of my siblings are joining the ranks of the retired as well. I will admit that I am a little envious. Being the "baby" of the family does not feel so good right now. I wonder if I could start a "Go-Fund-Me" page for my retirement so I could quickly follow in brothers' footsteps. Just a thought....
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
What did you see first when you looked at the photo above? Was it the water, the sunshine, the rocks, the cliff, the shadow, or something else? Did the title of my blog simply draw your eyes to the rocks? Do you think our perspectives on life influence the way in which we view a photo such as this?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If you are going through a rocky patch in life, please know of my prayers for you. I lift up in prayer each and every day all who are hurting. There is healing and hope to be found in Jesus Christ.
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