God Has Shown Me The Better Part

As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.

She had a sister named Mary (who) sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me."
The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her." Luke 10 38:42


The alarm clock goes off before the sun has finished its morning yawn. We hit the snooze button and role over for just ten more minutes of slumber before we jump into the showers, then rush over and pour that first cup of coffee. Awe caffeine, what a wonderful stimulant you can be! Back to the daily routine of traffic, deadlines and time is of the essence contracts to fulfill. In a word I am referring to “obligations”.

Vacation has come to an end and it is such a bittersweet. Although I love my home and have become accustom to my daily “normal”, what a treat it has been to have seventeen days of vacation time in the Eastern Sierra Mountains, in the cabin my husband and I have been building for the past three years. Ten of these treasured vacation days being spent with loved ones, my children and grandchildren, my parents, and a nephew; a truly full house!

I have always had a tendency in life to be a little hard on myself, always trying to be a good parent, but always wondering if I really was a good one or thinking to myself, “If I only knew what I know now, I would have done so many things differently”. Thank God for my Christian faith and thank God for giving me every new day to start over again.

I live very close to my children and grandchildren, but I had never spent so many days in a row with my children and their families under one roof, observing their interactions with one another and seeing what my children were passing on as values to their own children. It was a time of treasure and delight!

As our days of fun and adventure came to an end, my children packed their families for the long journey home. No more campfire nights with my dad playing his harmonica and grandchildren eating smores. No more little feet running on hardwood floors, "Grandma, tell me another story about bears!"   My husband and I waved them all goodbye; tears of joys filled my eyes.

Arm and arm, we walked back into our cabin, picked up Mrs. Potato Heads earring and purse off our sofa as we sat down, looked at one another and smiled.

I thank God for all the blessings in my life, for every moment that lead to this precious time together as family. God had shown me the better part, and I am forever grateful.