I know I posted this picture before, but while printing photos today, I had an epiphany about this one.
My thoughts are proof that I do not think like you, normal people.
Geese are an example of life’s victors.
When Joe and his buddies were golfing, the Canadian geese always made their presence known on at least one hole. They always won. Joe and his buddies never won against them as they made a lot of noise while dropping obstacles in their way. He would come home fussing about how the geese messed with his game.
Geese are victors over the grave as well. Many times I’ve been out at the cemetery and found the geese had dropped “bombs” on his grave. I imagine they stood their and said “Oh grave, you think you won. Well, bombs away! ” 😀
Back in the day, when I worked in a bank’s collections department, geese would make their nests in the parking lot medians. Security would tape off the area. However, Papa Goose would not hesitate to take on a multi-ton car, truck, or minivan if he determined the vehicle was too close to his and Mama Goose’s nest. Papa Goose always was the victor.
Whatever nasty life event you are facing, go marching onward into this week singing(All Glory Be To Christ) and with the attitude of a victor.
In short, Be The Geese!
God bless you.
P.S. I think unleashing Canadian geese would be an excellent form of crowd control.
Five Minute Friday is a Link Up hosted by Kate Motaung. I’ve participated in the past but for some reason got away from participating (probably happened when I started working odd hours as a customer service representative)
Now that the job, my days as caregiver, and executor are all Gone With The Wind, I’m attempting to participate again. Kate emails a word every Friday morning and everyone writes on it for five minutes. The problem is my brain could not come up with a post about the word. Hopefully, making a conscious effort to write every Friday will help my brain get back in action.
So here is today’s word: HORIZON. 11:07 a.m. EST.
GO!
What do you see on the horizon? If you look very closely you will see a little black dot. That is a boat on the horizon of Galveston Bay in Texas. This photo was taken in 2009 at my nephew’s wedding.
What you don’t see on the horizon is God. He is already there on the horizon of our lives. He knows what’s coming, and He will help us through it.
It’s not only the horizon of our personal lives, but He is also on the horizon of our country’s life and has been ever since he helped the founding fathers get it up and running. He will be there after the riots, midterms, 250th celebrations, and the turning of the calendar into 2027.
While it is important to understand He is on the horizon, it’s also important to understand He is standing right beside you.
So today we humbly celebrate with gratitude what God has done with JoyReturns since the first post went live 15 years ago.
First Photo Uploaded
The idea for the blog came from God as I heard the words “widow’s website” in my right ear one morning back in late 2010. A Google search for widows’ websites back then turned up dark, dreary, and depressing sites that encouraged widows and widowers to wallow in their grief.
The name JoyReturns was based on Psalm 30:5
After the post went live, I attended a job seeker seminar. My business cards arrived in the mail earlier that week, and JoyReturns was on them, so the blog had to be live.
Starting a blog meant I was learning something new (a plus when unemployed) and working on my writing skills. It showed people this unemployed widow of a certain age was doing something new.
Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
Due to the nature of the blog, I did not expect to have many subscribers. Truthfully, I don’t have a lot and that is fine. What I have found more fascinating is the countries where this blog has been read.
Stories about grief, unemployment, and life in general have been read in 175 countries. That is all God’s handiwork. I do not play around with posting on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, Pintrest, or LinkedIn. I did post every now and then for about the first five years, but quit as it was too much of a nuisance.
The top 10 countries where the blog is read are:
United States
Germany
United Kingdom
Canada
India
Australia
South Africa
Brazil
China
Philippines
India and China in the top 10 surprised me.
Some other countries where JoyReturns was read include Malawi, Mongolia, Estonia, Eritrea, Togo, and the Isle of Man. Again, this is all God’s work. He sends the posts where the need is greatest. A post may not resonate with you, but it may speak to a widow in Scotland or Trinidad and Tobago.
Take-A-Ways
I hope you have learned to draw closer to God, whether you are a widow, grieving the loss of another family member, experiencing grief due to divorce, unemployment, or any of life’s other nasty events. God is with you after all, His name is Immanuel – God with us. Drawing close to Him will bring you joy.
For my widows, besides drawing close to God, I hope you have been inspired to move forward with life. No matter if it is a new career, learning a new skill, or rekindling your love for a hobby. Take the love of your husband with you into your future, knowing God’s not done writing your story.
Thank You
Thank you to all my readers these past 15 years. Your reading my words and commenting means the world to me. I am grateful for the people I’ve met and the relationships that have developed since January 2011.
Most importantly, thank you, God, for all you’ve done over the years in and through JoyReturns. Thank you for being with me as I walked through grief, unemployment, and caregiving.
My Prayer For You
I leave you with one of my favorite verses from Scripture:
The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
JoyReturns 
You must be logged in to post a comment.