What 15 minutes Can Do

As I write this moment, I am sitting outside in the swing in awe of the beauty of the day. The sky is a beautiful blue and crystal clear. The azaleas are in full bloom in velvet pinks and reds. The sun is bright and golden, shining on the aromatic orange trees in bloom. Bandit is in his glory sleeping in the grass. The birds are singing a sweet song. A butterfly just settled on the tree leaf. I sit and wonder why I have always been too busy in the past to really sit for a moment and take in the beauty around me. God gives us such a beautiful world but all too often we are too busy to enjoy it, if only for a moment.
As I sit here I am filled with an incredible thankfulness.
I am thankful for my family. For Carl and his unending love. For my children, my grandchildren and the joy they bring to my life. For my sisters. Family is something we so often take for granted.
I am thankful for the many, many good friends God has put in my life. I am incredibly lucky to work in a place where we are not only co-workers but we are friends. We care about each other. We share a common bond. There is not a day goes by that I don't get a card or computer message that lifts my spirits from my friends at work and lets me know I am cared about and missed.
I am thankful for my church family and what their love and support means for both Carl and I. We draw on and rely on the prayers and friendship of our church family. Some say they don't need to go to church to find God. For us we not only find Him, but also His people who love us and pray for us.
I am also thankful that God has put just the right medical professionals in my life. When facing an unfamiliar big illness, no one wants to rely on picking a doctor out of the phone book. God has hand picked the medical team ahead of time for me. Carl and I were commenting on the highly respected reputations and knowledge of all the people involved in my care. But equally important, they are all "caring". Each and every one of my physicians genuinely cares. In this day of hurry in and hurry out it is comforting to know that they do care for you as a person. Earlier today one of my doctors called and said she received the biopsy results and was sorry for what I would have to go through but she wanted me to know that she would be praying for me and lifting me up in her prayer group at her church. After I hung up I thanked God aloud for her, and for His Hand in orchestrating the whole "team".
You know, it's amazing, what taking 15 minutes of our time, to sit out and enjoy God's beautiful world and reflect on the good things in our lives, can do for our mind our body and our spirit.