"On Surprises"

surprise:  something not expected

"The writing" has been a surprise.  Being able to share my life and how I live it, it is something I neither trained for nor what I expected to be doing at this time in my life.  In fact, had you asked me a year ago, let alone decades ago, if I thought I would be writing as I neared 70, I would have probably laughed, the idea being ludicrous.  It isn't that I haven't tried before; it's that the paper always came up blank.

What fun it is to surprise children, planning first experiences of wonderment for them, working out the details of adventures in secret, then plopping them in the lap of an unsuspecting child.  Holidays and birthdays, summer vacations, and week-end treks provide opportunities to fill a child's life with surprise.  But I contend there is that same child within each of us, regardless of the number of years we carry.  Who doesn't like being given a gift or a treat, one that is unexpected and prepared especially for us?  Large or small, they leave a smile on our face and joy in our heart. 

I've heard some say, "I don't like surprises,"  and yet life never goes as planned and is filled with the unexpected.  Some of those surprises bring great joy, others great sorrow, and still others great frustration and complication.  Each and every day of life is an unknown.  How often do we find ourselves thinking and saying, "I didn't know that was going to happen."?

As much as we would like to think we are in charge of the planning and the preparation, the future is hidden from our eyes; we watch it unfold as it happens, either as participant or bystander.  In essence, isn't that what the news is--reporting the surprises of the day?

Forrest Gump's "Life is like a box of chocolates.  You never know what you're going to get," says it well.

As one who views life through a spiritual lens, I have been thinking about this element of  surprise, the unexpected.  My Creator is a Master at seeing I am prepared for living life.   It is not His goal to have the surprises of the day wipe me out or immobilize me, but to walk me through them, having given me the capability of "rolling with the punches," flowing, and moving forward.

Car problems, scheduling conflicts, a weather event, a trip to Urgent Care, the report of a test result from a doctor, surprises ad infinitum.  Some require a simple adjustment in the day, others turn one's world upside down.  For me, that is when I reach out and place my hand in His.  Naive', simplistic, childlike?  Perhaps--but it is how I live my life.

My Heavenly Father has given this child a gift, a treat when He gave me "the writing."  He has given me my voice.  Isn't that something each of us, regardless of our age or our gender unconsciously seek, that of being able to express our thoughts, our feelings, our beliefs, and opinions?  Being heard is a bonus.  It brings me great joy, a deep gratification to share myself with you.  

A lovely surprise especially prepared for me, it is uniquely individual, suiting me and fitting like a glove.  May your life and the lives of those you love be filled with the same kinds of surprises--at His hand.


"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no human mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him."

"Every good and perfect gift is from God.  This kind of gift comes down from the Father who created the heavenly lights."