Embraced By Hope

Gatherings of thoughts -- so what does that mean. Well actually maybe I should just have titled my blog Gatherings.

I have been gathering things since I was a young girl. A neighbor lady and I used to take walks and look for what we called Indian Beads. They were stone fossils that looked like beads and many had holes in them and could be strung. Two years ago a wonderful package arrived in the mail. It contained some of the stone beads we had collected. My friend, Gloria had saved some and sent them to me along with some photos of me taken as a little girl. Both of those things are precious to me. They show a side of me I hadn't seen in the photos and the beads remind me of a time past.

I still gather things. My favorite is walking the beaches for shells, rocks, feathers, drift wood or whatever God brings me. After reading Captivating by Staci Eldridge, I have longed to find a star fish like she finds in her book. Last year on Sanibel Island God granted my longing. He gave me not only a star fish, but one called a Brittle Star. It's not as prevalent or easy to find and has a wonderful star on it's tummy and tiny colorful tendrils. I have it in a shadow box and it often reminds me just how faithful God is at times to grant my silly requests of Him.

This year while walking the beach with Dane in Bradenton, Florida I found a sand dollar. It was a gift from God to remind me that He has created lots of things for me to gather to remind me of His glorious creation and my part in His plan.

Psalm 139 always brings me hope because I was formed in the darkest parts of my mother's womb and God knew I was there and would keep me safe despite the desires of others. My journey would be a struggle as a young girl in unpleasant surroundings, but God had a plan to prosper and keep me.

So I leave you to day with a question. What do you like to gather?