Religion

Most of you who know me know that I have struggled with the idea of God and religion and such....especially since my mother died. If asked, I declare my "denomination" as Unitarian Universalist. Ryan and I became members of a UU church in Tucson, were married by a UU minister, and had Leah's"dedication ceremony" at our UU church in Saratoga. Since our move to Buffalo, we have only been to one UU church one time, but there are 2 other congregations we could go to.

However, I am a HUGE fan of Joel Osteen. He is on every Sunday morning at 7:30 on our local channel 4. I am not usually awake at that hour, but this morning I was (thanks to daylight savings time). The topic of his sermon was "be a bend-back person". Drawing from a bible story about how God says we are built like palm tree, that is, strong enough to bend. Despite the storms you might be in the middle of, the strife you may be experiencing, the depression you may be in, it is only a season and you have the strength to get through it and come out stronger on the other side.

Considering the fact that we are in a tough spot right now with Ryan's health, being down to one income and the current economic crisis, I was convinced that despite the packed auditorium to which he was preaching, I was sure Joel was speaking directly to me. His words, as usual, seemed to be tailored to fit my life and current circumstances. He might as well have said "Lyn, you have the strength to get through this. Lyn, things will get better. Lyn, this is just a season and soon the winds will change and life will get better.

It is way too easy to get caught up in worrying about the future or lamenting the past. Sometimes it is hard to just be in the moment and recognize just how blessed we are. It may be true that money is tight and health status is unsure, but it is also true that today I am alive. Today I have a beautiful daughter who is currently "pushing" her dad in his wheelchair to the kitchen. Today I am healthy. Today I am blessed with a warm house. Today I have an amazing husband who against all odds is making changes to his life to live longer. Today I am blessed with a list of things seemingly endless.

Despite the labels of Christian, Jewish, Protestant, UU...one thing is for sure. God is good and is showering me with love and blessings today and I couldn't be more grateful.