Pleasers

They never seem to be too busy
They’re always at your beck and call
Whatever you ask they’re at the ready
Enthusiastically giving there all

You know the kind I’m talking about
They come to you, you don’t seek them out
It’s hard not to like their cheerful demeanors
But you have to wonder what they’re really about

You start to suspect ulterior motives
Although they’re most humble when given reward
Even when only your praise if offered
They seem to be willing to do even more

They don’t seem to ask for much in return
Their cheerfulness seems contagious
You find yourself trying to please them instead
Their motive revealed is outrageous

It turns out they only want one thing
Their unwavering service a prologue
To gaining your total devotion and love
Then taking their place as your top Dog

Stargazers

Every job has its mundane moments when it seems repetitious and even boring.  You wouldn’t think that could happen in the beautiful Colorado Rockies, but by the middle of the season, even the uniqueness of living on a guest ranch began to wear off.  To the staff, cleaning stalls, washing dishes, and cooking and serving 3 meals a day was beginning to feel more and more like work.  There were certain events each summer that brought the excitement back, like local rodeos and concerts. One of the most anticipated though, was a very special quest.

Many families returned year after year and veteran staff got to know them well, some even developing lasting friendships. One of those guests was an astronaut.  He brought his family every summer and we could always count on two things happening when he was there.  Late night apple pie raids of the kitchen and a staff attitude adjustment ride for some stargazing. After dinner when the guests returned to their cabins staff members would ride with him to our favorite spot on a ridge above the ranch and wait for the sun to set.  It was a time to relax and just be ourselves and looking over the ranch from that spot somehow put everything back in perspective.  When the stars came out our own personal astronaut would point out the constellations. You could tell he was passionate about space and loved sharing that passion with us. He told us what it was like looking down from an even higher vantage point seeing the constellations formed by the lights of the cities and towns.  I remember thinking that they were almost like a reflection of the stars.

The lights of Christmas remind me how a brilliant star announced the birth of my savior Jesus Christ, who is the true Light of the World. The one with the greatest vantage point of all sees the reflection of His light in all those who believe.  Won’t you consider asking Him into your heart so you receive a new life and a new perspective through His passionate and unconditional love for you?

Breathtaking or How I Learned to Articulate

Kids, dogs and camping gear were once again piled into our Suburban as we set off on another family vacation. We always started out early in the morning so the kids usually slept until we had left the city and suburbs far behind.  For some reason when they woke up the miles and miles of open road did not hold their attention for very long.  They amused themselves for a while trying to get truckers to honk by pulling on imaginary cords as we drove by.  Once they had managed to get a few responses they went on to play games involving the colors or state license plates of passing cars.

Eventually they would get bored with that too, so we always had them pack a small bag for the backseat with books and puzzles or small games.  Things were quiet for a while as they began to pull out their emergency anti boredom items until our 7 year old son complained that he had a headache.  Our first solution was to tell him to close his eyes for a few minutes.  Seconds later he announced that it had not worked.  For some reason the same child who could fall asleep in mid-sentence when tired and who had slept for the first two hours of the trip, was unable to close his eyes for more than 10 seconds at a time. 

When he complained again he said that he was having a hard time reading because of his headache.  I told him that he needed to stop reading for a while because that would probably help.  That seemed to do it because we didn’t hear anymore complaining from the back seat for a while, just what I thought were heavy sighs of boredom.  After the third one I turned around in my seat to check it out, just in time to see that the sigh was really a long exhale.  Then I watched as he filled his lungs, puffed out his cheeks and held his breath.  I asked him what he was doing and after exhaling again he said with a tired whine that he was doing what I told him to do but that it was hard not to breathe.