{ Joys }

Scraps of pink clouds greeted me on Friday morning, tossed across a pale blue canvas of sky. I caught my breath; the December air was warm and clear, the sun an enormous golden sphere near the skyline. Blue sky. A sunrise. Both so very rare in the winter. No rain. No wet, cold darkness to trudge through. Thank you, Lord.

Purple mountain majesties framed the eastern horizon as I drove to work. Breathtaking.

A huge rainbow mysteriously stayed directly ahead of me for my entire drive to work. Wide ribbons of translucent color hung taut in a perfect arc, astonishing in its height. Hope. I always think of God's twin promises of hope and of mercy from His wrath against sin when I see a rainbow. But with a dry night and a sunny morning, a rainbow? In midwinter? It's like a Christmas present from Jesus!

(By the time I took this photo, the rainbow was fading in the morning sunlight.)

Arriving at work, sadly realizing I forgot to bring in fudge, thinking of how neglected my sweet tooth will feel all day--and finding a Tupperware of fudge I'd brought in earlier this week and forgotten! Bliss.

Doing an echocardiogram in the critical care unit, I hear singing voices approaching. Ah, today is caroling! For three hours a group of hospital employees traverse the entire hospital singing Christmas carols. My patient starts singing along. I finish my echo to the beautiful harmonies of "Away in a Manger" and "Silent Night." One of the kidney doctors joins for the last song, his heavy European accent mingling with the voices of occupational therapists, distribution techs, administrative staff. I think this was probably the best medicine my patient received all day, and of how blessed I am to be able to have carolers travel through my workplace.

Mid-day, I remember how, on Thursday night during our Advent reading, we read the passage in Philippians telling us to be anxious about nothing, and each of us shared what we are anxious about. Then we prayed. I prayed that God would just surround us with assurance of His love. Perfect love casts out fear, and anxiety is rooted in fear. God's love is the only perfect love; so if we are resting in His love, He takes our anxiety from us. We leave it at the foot of the Cross, and take up instead His yoke--letting ourselves be overwhelmed with His love instead of anxiety. And I realize all these are love notes from a God who loves us so much, He sent His only Son into the world to pay the penalty for sin on our behalf.