Michele Sansanelli 10/2/14 I realized today the importance of seeing life through someone elses eyes. Its possible to almost feel what they are feeling; pain, sadness, hurt. What I didnt expect were the other things that began to unfold on this beautiful Texas day. My mornings are pretty routine. I wake up at 6 a.m, straighten up the house, wash any dishes in the sink, gather laundry and water the plants. By 7 a.m, the coffee is brewing and I sit for my devotional and prayer time. Between 8 and 8:30, Im out the door for a walk/jog. On my jog days, I bring Toby because he has the stamina to make it two miles and actually finds incredible delight in each step. On my walk days, when Im only going a mile, its Gracies turn. She often acts out what Im feeling by dragging her backside around the loop after the second time out of five. Its a time of coaxing, pulling and pleading and some days her persistence will give her access once around the loop in my arms. I know..its absolutely ridiculous. I have to admit that most mornings Im just trying to get the cardiovascular box on my to do list checked off. This morning Gracie waited at the door, prancing back at forth as I put on my shoes. She spent the first 1/10 of the mile straining against her collar and almost hopping like a rabbit to get to the park. Although I am determined to keep a quick, steady pace she is still moving faster than my legs will take me. Once around the loop is 2/10 of a mile. Im feeling focused and driven to either meet or beat my time from the previous walk. Gracie and God had different plans. I made the first loop with record time, often having to tug Gracies leash to keep her on task as to what I was trying to accomplish. The second loop I can feel a battle of wills ensuing. She is not wanting to follow my lead and is trying to lay her case of what her expectations were before we even arrived. By the third loop I can feel my patience waning and a new determination inside of me is beating. She is going to have to concede defeat, stop rebelling, and keep moving in a timely fashion. The fourth loop she proves me wrong. Her desire may actually be stronger than mine. Her backside slaps down onto the concrete and she refuses to move. My eyes narrow as I look down at her and hers widen as she looks up at me. We have hit a crossroad, havent we Miss Grace? I suppose I have the choice now to either pick you up and carry you or slow it down, eh? She tilts her head to the side as if she is understanding exactly what I am saying..and she waits for my decision. The push that I had been feeling to finish quickly dissipated as I squatted down beside her and stroked her head. I concede. We begin to leisurely walk and her attitude has completely changed. I watch her plunge her nose into the grass as she smells a bouquet of new aromas. Her ears have perked up and she looks as if she is smiling. Her steps have a slight bounce to them as she moves from blade of grass to blade of grass and tree to tree. I begin to take notice of my surroundings. The sky is perfectly bright blue without a cloud in sight. As I breathe in deeply, I detect a hint of fall in the air. It floods my head with childhood memories and I smile. There is a gentle breeze kissing my cheeks and my muscles begin to relax. I feel the leash tug as Gracie dives headfirst into a patch of flowers and I watch as her nose parts them like the Red Sea and grasshoppers begin to leap right and left as if they are starring in The Chorus Line on Broadway. Every moment reveals more. At first glance, I thought the flowers were plain white but on closer inspection not only were they NOT plain white but they were dotted with a bright, sunny yellow in the center and the white on the petals faded into a delicate purple. Had I not stopped to really look they would remain just white in my memory. By the fifth and final loop I have a new perspective. My heart is filled with joy and happiness as I begin to absorb all of the tiny details of Gods creation that have been there every morning but my agenda packed to do list prevented me from taking notice. Each walk/jog I take consideration of a particular tree and each time wonder what it would be like to sit on it. This morning I would stop and take the time to find out. It is slightly tucked back among the trees with a clearing of tree needles beneath it. The trunk is sturdy and yet the upper portion is completely horizontal with the ground. It is unique. As I straddle the branch I breathe in His peace and take a 360 degree view of nature and sit in awe. Father has given me a small gift this morning with a huge impact. Most everyone knows that phrase that God can use all things...well, this morning he used a ten pound Yorkie to make this girl realize how much I miss by having an agenda so etched in stone that it overshadows what God wants. Its time to slow down. Slow down to see whats around me, slow down to smell the flowers, slow down to enjoy the sheer magnitude of being alive and loved by the Creator of the universe. I cant think of anything more delightful. Thank you, Father for all of Your gifts!
Posted on: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 19:56:12 +0000
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