A STROLL

A STROLL

The pathway of discouragement is short, while the pathway of hope never ends.

~Marie T. Morrison~

CRAYONS

A fragrant path to hope will elicit memories of special days, grandparents and crayons. The bouquet of cherished thoughts gives a light to our lives.
~Marie T. Morrison

INTERWEAVE

God brings us hope, to interweave into our hearts.

~Marie T. Morrison

A GREAT NEED

The greatest need in life is God. He keeps the body and soul together, awakens the senses, revives the spirit, gives wisdom to our choices, forgives misdeeds, arouses our faith, encourages hope and provides unconditional love.

~Marie T. Morrison~

A PRECIOUS BLESSING

A gift from God may be as natural as extending a warm hand to say hello. Sharing this precious blessing among many will spread love, mercy, peace and hope .

~Marie T. Morrison~

THE SENSES OF FAITH

We cannot see faith,
nor taste it.
We cannot touch faith
nor is it something we can smell
or hear.

I do see the man living his faith,
Saying things will be okay,
God gave him a beautiful family,
That prayers give them hope.
To overcome present obstacles.

As farmers invite neighbors
To enjoy plentiful food
From the crops of the land,
A taste of faith is experienced,
With prayers to God whispered,
For the land He gave them to be toiled.

A newborn child,
Cuddled in the warmth of its parents,
It’s new skin so soft and smooth,
Is touching faith,
A mother and father,
Devoting themselves to God & prayer,
Knowing they are bringing a new soul into the world.

Faith has no set fragrance, yet it surrounds us.
As we sit in fields looking out in gratitude at God’s glory,
There it is in the whiff of pine needles, a wild rose,
A child’s breath ,in the rich soil at our feet and in the salty ocean waves.

Praying to God, my best friend, I hear him talk to me.
That is faith. I hear faith in God’s creatures,
The birds singing their morning tunes, the chipmunks chatting for the nut.
I hear faith speaking in the rippling stream, the flowing waterfall and at sea.

We only need to open the senses to know faith is awaiting,
God will be there with us, to experience every wonderful sensation
In this beautiful world of His!
~M.T. Morrison~

A LOSS AND A LIGHT

How nice it is, to stay in touch with someone going through a loss. As others fall away, there one friend stands, never forgetting, always recognizing, what once was. Let the heart remain warm, keeping the Spirit afire for those ready to extinguish it. Hope and courage are requested in prayer, as God shows the way toward a new light.
~Marie T. Morrison~

MY BLESSING TO YOU

May countless blessings come upon you in the New Year, as you take steps forward using your growing wisdom and knowledge. Let faith keep you standing, pulling you back up when those strenuous times knock you down. As you feel a breeze, it is an extra sprinkling of God’s joy, compassion, mercy, peace and grace, because of His love for you. Wherever you are, there will be our Lord, always within you, His Spirit always giving you hope.
~Marie T. Morrison~

HOPE II

H elp is given, wanting to reach your heart.
O mnipresent is the Holy Spirit, filling your soul with love and care.
P erpetual prayers are said by our brethren, keeping you safe from the storm.
E ncouragement comes from God's hands, as He holds you tight.
~Marie T. Morrison~

~~We can never give up on hope!~~

HOPE

H old on, don’t let go.
O ffer prayers to God, asking for His blessings during the difficult times.
P ersevere, stay strong, remember you are never alone.
E ndure what is given to you, because yes, things do get better!
~Marie T. Morrison~

HOLD IN YOUR POCKET

Hope is only a four letter word, but it carries enormous power. It is something we want to always hold in a pocket of our hearts.
~Marie T. Morrison~

AS ONE

What can bring about togetherness? A friendship can. Laughter can. Love can bring one or more together. Marriage does. Gathering for a funeral does, to share tears and memories. Writing a letter to tell a story or recall a treasured moment are lovely moments of togetherness. Above all, having hope, having faith, never giving up and praying to God brings everyone together, no matter where they are in the world, no matter the religion, the disability, the level of wealth. We are one, all seeking the same thing. Together.
~Marie T. Morrison~

SADNESS, LOVE AND HOPE

A favorite Bible passage of mine is Romans 5:3-5, "We rejoice in our sufferings, know that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us."
One little girl asked me why there had to be sadness in our lives. I tried to explain to her how this does bring us closer to God and the Holy Spirit. It makes us stronger, as we are filled with so much of His caring love while we go through hard moments in life. It is a very hard concept to understand and accept.  We must turn it over to God, who will help us carry our burdens. Our heavy load will be lighter, knowing the Holy Spirit will not abandon us. We will feel that hope of continuing on in life, just knowing how much love is being poured into us.

EVERY CHANCE

For every chance of a temptation, there is also a chance of hope. All that is needed is faith. With faith comes God’s love. Feeling His love gives us the strength to continue on any spiritual journey given to us.


~Marie T. Morrison~

A GRASP

Grasping for the unknown will not satisfy a need. Grasping for help from God offers hope. Tumbling down cannot happen now, as God will hold the hand of His child, never letting go.


~Marie T. Morrison~

AT LONG LAST

Greetings! At long last, I am back to my writing. It has been quite awhile since I felt well enough to write. I went in to get medical tests done, only to come out worse than before the tests. Apparently, the tests triggered something else in the body, causing additional problems.


At times, I have felt so ill that I began to wonder if I would ever have a quality of life again. Those fleeting thoughts only lasted seconds, as I knew my life was much better than that of others. I had food to eat, water to drink, a roof over my head and a dear family to care for me. I also felt that my suffering was nothing compared to that of our Lord Jesus. In fact, I became closer to Jesus because of all the additional problems.

It is easy to take for granted what each of our days brings us. We tend to be busy from the moment we open our eyes and get out of bed each day. There is the morning rush, getting out the door, not wanting to be late for our destinations. Around us, everyone else is also running, usually with a sense of worry. “Will there be much traffic? Will I find a parking place? I hope I can get a seat and not have to stand during the ride. Why do I have to attend that meeting? It is always such a waste of time.”

Nowhere, in these conversations with ourselves, or with another person, is there a thought for God. We are just too busy. Our days remain busy, taking care of this need and that, forgetting the need to say a prayer, thanking our Lord for another day. At the end of the day, there is again the traffic to deal with on the way home, the meals to fix, the family activities to attend, the helping with a child's homework, and the house to clean. There is the television show to watch, so everything has to be complete by then. Once again, there is not the time to think about a prayer, praising Jesus for getting through one more day.

It is a vicious cycle, day in and day out. It is not until our health changes, and we cannot keep up with our hectic lives, do we sit back, remembering whom it is that lets us have a family, gives us beautiful sunrises and sunsets, and makes fertile ground so we may have food on the table.

Though I continue to wear out easily, I am adjusting to my new quality of life. I continue to pray for others listed in my prayer journal, aware we are never alone as we carry our crosses. Overcoming our challenges is a motive of God’s, teaching us to become stronger in our faith. It is faith that gives us hope. Once we have hope, we will believe God is right there with us, as we climb through the obstacles to reach our goals. If we fall, God will help us rise and persevere, no matter the journey. Thank you, dear Lord, for always being there.

Hope, Faith and Wisdom

When I lose something, I get mad at myself, wishing the item could speak, saying, "I am over here!" Until I find my lost item, I have a hard time doing anything else. My mind is remains focused on the displaced article. I do stay calm while searching, unlike my husband. As I hear the sounds of frustration coming from the other room, I know he is madly trying to find something. I stay quiet, not wanting to add to his anxiety.

Eventually, we do find what we have misplaced, letting out a sigh of relief. We easily forget how much time we spent looking, moving on with our lives. It is not always so easy, though to forget and move on when a life is lost. I recently heard a story from a 13 year old, about her mother passing away when she was only ten. As the story unfolds, I forget to take a breath, as it is such a tragic occurrence. I am learning not only about the loss of a mother; this young person feels responsible for her death. Why? Because a goodnight kiss was not shared the night before this terrible fate.

For three years, this child has internally taken the blame. I do what I can to console this young person, attempting to ease the thoughts, that it had nothing to do with a goodnight gesture. It was an unexpected illness. I wish I could make life as it was before for this precious little being. What I can do is remember to keep life in perspective. If something is not where I usually keep it, it is no big deal. I will picture the solemn face of an innocent child understanding the true meaning of a loss. Though somber, the young teen tells me hope and faith remain. Someday, mother and child will reunite in Heaven. Once again, I learn it is the wisdom of a child where I learn the true meaning of life.

HOPING

Spring isn't quite ready to arrive in Santa Fe. It did warm up to 44 degrees today, but we have a couple of months to go before our trees and gardens come to life. However, it doesn't mean I can't enjoy some of those blossoms a bit early. I will clip a few offshoots from the apple tree and forsythia bush, bringing them into the house. Placing them into a vase of water, I will get to see them blossom, bringing a lovely color and fragrance into our home. It is a nice way to keep the spirits up, while the dreary weather lingers on. It leaves us with a sense of hope, of what is to come.
Hope is just what Christ wants us to have. I always think of Job and all he went through. There was one struggle or tragedy after another, but he continued to hope for better things to come. It took awhile, but because of his faith, never giving up, life did get better. The Psalms tell us of having hope in God, aiding us in good times and in bad. Psalm 31:24 tells us, “Be strong, be courageous, all you that hope in the Lord.” There is even the funny proverb, Proverbs 29:20, “There is more hope for a stupid fool than for someone who speaks without thinking.”
I love Romans 5:3-5, “We rejoice in our sufferings, know that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, which has been given to us.” Paul gives us an important message in Acts 23:6, “...Fellow Israelites ! I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees. I am on trial here because of the hope I have that the dead will rise to life!” How apropos, knowing that at the end of our Lenten season, our sorrow will turn to joy, as we celebrate Christ's resurrection.
The Bible uses the word 'hope' about 150 times. It has a powerful meaning, reminding us to always keep our faith, knowing that if God is in our lives, there is always hope.

Endurance

     A favorite Bible passage of mine is Romans 5:3-5, "We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts, through the Holy Spirit, which has been given to us."
     It is hard to understand at times how we can rejoice in our sufferings.  I had a seven year old girl ask me why there had to be so much sadness in life. I did my best to explain to her how we get stronger every time something sad does happen to us. I said after knowing sadness, we do not take anything for granted in life. Rather we start seeing life as something very precious.
     It is a hard to understand this, no matter how young or old we are. We can only pray to God for strength to get us through our daily endeavors. It is not easy.  But, we must remember we have not been abandoned; the Holy Spirit is there, providing us with love and care. His power of love and care is beyond words. It is up to us to accept what He provides, as we continue to go about facing what each day brings.