Gratitude in the midst of sometimes overwhelming challenges, can seem elusive. But I have found it is the fundamental basis for peace and hope regardless of the circumstances. It seems that gratitude brings perspective whether we are in the center of great success or intense and abject conditions.

I recently was invited to a podcast regarding a series of books my grandson and I have been reading. At one point in the podcast, the author said, “One young boy changed the world.” She was referring to my grandson.

Interestingly enough, our reading journey didn’t start out planning to change the world. My grandson is an avid reader.

One day I asked what his favorite book was. He told me; “The Prophet, the Shepherd, and the Star”. I ordered the book and began to read it.

Salt and Light are age old concepts, but do they have significance today? I think so.

Salt is a cleansing, healing, and preservation agent for our bodies. It brings out the flavors in foods. Our bodies need a certain amount of salt in our diet. The essential minerals in salt act as important electrolytes in the body. They help with fluid balance, nerve transmission and muscle function.

Coming from Minnesota, salt for icy roads and driveways is essential part of winter preparation for the safety of those driving or walking on sidewalks. In our emergency kit in the trunk, there was always a bag of salt in case we were stuck.

I love the word “Entrusted”! It is a powerful word and it entails trust by the one imparting it to another. The word inspires hope and strength in all instances that it is intentionally given.

I think of the movie series “The Lord of the Rings” and Froto the Hobbit. He was entrusted to take the ring to Mordall and throw it in the lake of fire to destroy the power of the evil one. He was the only one who could succeed. But there was great sacrifice on his part, a willingness to give up his live that others could live.

Ezekiel 37 is a spectacular chapter of hope. Hope we all need when we run out of strength and the afterburners (that extra burst of energy to carry us through) in our lives. My bones have felt like they were in that valley with Ezekiel more than once in my life. Many of us have the same feeling; some may be there now.

In Philippians Paul tells us that we can have peace; peace in our hearts and minds not necessarily in our surroundings. We can be in the midst of chaos or challenges and have peace inside, deep in the inner part of who we are. When we have this kind of peace we respond differently to our circumstances than when we are in great turmoil inside.

Thriving is a choice. For me, thriving is acknowledging your blessings and being a blessing to others.

By acknowledging your blessings you have the opportunity to choose to be grateful for those blessings. Without humble gratitude for our blessings, we tend to make who we are and what we have all about us. At this point, we really are unable to consider others.

Easter is my favorite celebration of the entire year.

• Christmas is the birth of Jesus as the beginning of our journey home.

• Christ’s death was the sacrifice for our sins.

• The resurrection is Jesus Christ overcoming sin death and the grave. This is the most important to me.

Jesus was a good teacher and prophet; there were many of these. BUT, Jesus rose from the dead proving He is who He says He is.

In this hectic, sometimes crazy world, often all a buzz, we can lose sight of what is important.

Where do we find balance and refocus? Where do we refuel, find peace, purpose, and direction for our lives?

It starts with God and our relationship with Him. When that relationship is in the right perspective, we gain insight into the rest of our life.

How do we work on our relationship with God when everything else is clutter?

“Live well, live wisely, and live humbly. It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts.” James 3: 13b MSG

Do we really know how to live well? Does that mean we have more stuff? Does it mean we see more things? Does it mean we have plenty of food even throw food away? Does it mean we have more than enough clothes, some we haven’t used in years but are there just in case? Does it mean we know more and more people, few of whom we really do life with or even talk to? Have more and more Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram followers and that’s whom we call our friends but don’t ever even meet most of them? Not so much.

There are times in our lives that life is not only challenging but downright unfair, painful, even devastating and cruel.

We have a choice: allow our circumstance or situation to make us stronger and better or bitter and broken. No one, no power can choose our response to our circumstance. It is our choice alone.

When I was sitting among the birds today, I considered the diverse groups of people caught up in the pandemic. Some have personally been touched by the virus, lost loved ones, others separated from their loved ones that are sick. That is a heartache. Then there are those losing their job, working from home, kids doing school from home, workers in flux trying to balance work, family, and life from a confined and sometimes from what suddenly seems like a crowded space.

When visiting my grandmother, Theresa, who lived on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, NY, I learned a few valuable lessons. As a child, she would say to me: “What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger.” She was tough. She had been through a lot with the depression, wars, and life.

She was a lady that knew everything going on in her building and the buildings around her. When a lady was in a rough place and didn’t have food for kids, she found a way to get some to her, even when it meant it was her sacrifice. All done while keeping the person’s dignity. That was critical to her way of thinking and acting.

There is so much more to the sermon on the mount than the topics of anger, lust, divorce, vows, retaliation, giving to the needy, and prayer. Of course, those can address how we lead our lives, but here, we are speaking about motivation, the fundamentals of the entire sermon—the why of the message.

Sitting on my deck watching the birds interact my thoughts landed on “people watching.” It is something that many people enjoy, I love it. Today however we don’t have a chance to do it live and in-person but via television, the news or not, social media. But we are not seeing people as they are when they think no one is looking. That is when it is interesting to me.

We get small doses of the real heroes; the first responders, the caregivers, doctors, and nurses. We get to see their selfless acts of care and dedication but do we really see them, or are they a highlight on the evening news?

Thriving starts with you. Enjoy the journey. Step up to the challenge to thrive, to dream, and embrace life with all of its challenges, joys, and tears.

Thrive, Abide, and Faith. I would like to have made the three words rhyme but for not. In order to Thrive we must Abide and to abide cultivates Faith.

Life has changed over the last year for most people worldwide. Some are not sure if they can start anew. Or how do we pick up the pieces in the face of immeasurable loss?

Whether a family member has passed away, the shuttering of a business, or recovering from isolation, there is one thing I know for sure; God is Faithful. Faithful to restore. Faithful, to start something new. God is faithful to carry us when we cannot stand on our own. Faithful to restore the brokenhearted.

For some, “shelter-in-place” may mean inconvenience or take a deep breath, maybe enjoy the well needed time with loved ones, for others, perhaps not so much. “Shelter-in-place” may be so much more than not leaving your home but include; groceries, medicines, being alone, loneliness, kids, home from school yet needing to attend school online, financial, nerves, people stepping on what you might consider your very last nerve. For many, this time dealing with a world-wide pandemic is overwhelming.

There are times that we hear voices from every corner saying; “My way, we need to do thus and so, my way. Or I have the right to…”

But, as tough as it is sometimes, we need to take pride and put it in its place. There is freedom, power, strength gained when we do.

Humility is a tough subject because when we think we are, we most likely are not. But how does humility affect our choices? What does humility have to do with being a foghorn in someone else’s life? In fact, how does humility or lack thereof affect me?

Times of comfort, pain, and challenges come and go. People drift in and drift out of our lives. Seasons pass and usher in new, some easy, some not so much; sometimes with a gentle breeze; other times like a hurricane! There are times we do seemingly small things for others yet, at times those actions become huge for them. There are the things in our own lives that appear big and as we give into others’ lives our “Big” suddenly seems much less significant.