Lord, have Mercy…these are hard times if we look at all we are shown. I’ve lost friends this year…some to death…some to politics. My list dwindles as people peel away from me for whatever reason. I had a friend ask the other night if we should unfriend till next year. I told her I am comfortable with civil discourse but if it made her more comfortable, she needed to do what was best for her. We decided to stay connected and work our way through the next few months. That being said, there are some friends I have had to put in “time out” by snoozing them for thirty days. When those thirty days are up, I can revisit and evaluate. I don’t unfriend people just because we have a difference of opinion. I DO unfriend people if they attack, are verbally abusive, or go beyond my personal boundaries of what I am willing to put up with.

So…I snoozed the loudest, angriest, ugliest posts. Then…by mid week, my FB feed sounded like crickets. It’s been so much more peaceful and it left me the space to fill with hope and love. Hate doesn’t kill hate…only love does. My dear friend Diane shares the craziest, sometimes bawdiest memes and funnies and she helps keep me sane. She sometimes has a crusty exterior, but inside…she’s a marshmallow. She just doesn’t let very many people know. The other day, she sent me this. I watched it in messenger, but the sound wasn’t on. I thought is was so sweet…a speech therapist is getting married and her groom surprises her with the beautiful children she works with. Sweet. Then…when I prepared to write this post, I watched the full video with the sound and sobbed all the way through it…three times.

We need more of this beauty and joy in our lives. These are hard times, yes. And there’s a lot of ugliness in this world. But….oh, my…there is still SO much beauty. Please don’t forget there is still so much beauty around us. Please don’t give up.

Keep looking.

Keep looking.

WATCH THIS BEAUTIFUL VIDEO HERE!

❤️

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23 NIV