Gayl Wright

  WHAT IS SHALOM? In the summer of 2015, I joined with other mothers online to encourage each other as we juggled the many different areas of our lives. The first writing prompt we were given was the word Shalom . Since my #oneword2025 is peace, I thought it would be fun to revisit that post. This is an updated version of the original. Shalom  is a Hebrew word often used when saying goodbye or greeting someone. Its simplest meaning in English is peace , but it really is so much more. After a little research, I found out that shalom also means being complete, whole, or sound, and has to do with well-being. SHABBAT SHALOM As I thought more about shalom I was reminded of a special meal we used to have on Saturday evening when our kids were younger. We got the idea from friends who gave us a printout to follow for each part of the meal. It was patterned after the Jewish Sabbath meal and included readings and scriptures. First, we prepared the food, set the table, then cleaned ...

Looking back and Moving Forward - God will always see us through.(Poem written December 2023. Shown on an art journal page with background from an old calendar) REVIEW OF MY ONE WORD 2024 My word for 2024 was  stillness.  For me and maybe for many of you, stillness is probably hard to find in our busy lives. Yet it is so important to help us find time to relax, rest, refresh, and recharge. In her  linkup post for #oneword2024 , Lisa Burgess gave us questions to help us review our one word. So, I will just use a question/answer format to share my thoughts here.  Did my word stay relevant? Why or why not? Though I didn't focus constantly on my word, I believe it did stay relevant. Whenever I remembered it, I found that it refreshed me, giving me time to relax and find rest. How often did I notice my word this year, and where? When I chose the word stillness, I wanted to use it to help me remember to carve out time to be still every day. Thinking back over the yea...

For a child will be born for us,  a son will be given to us,  and the government will be on his shoulders.  He will be named  Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,  Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 ADVENT - A TIME OF STILLNESS December has begun and with it the season of Advent, a time of waiting expectantly. Advent calls us to take time for stillness to contemplate the birth of Jesus and what it means for us. It is also a time to look forward to Jesus' return.  Make no mistake - He will return, though we don't know when. After the prophecies of His first coming, centuries went by before the angel appeared to Mary, announcing that she would be the one to bear the Messiah. I'm sure people had grown tired of waiting. Many people probably forgot about the promise of a Messiah. When He did come, He was not recognized. The religious leaders were against Him and sought to kill Him. They even incited the crowd to ask Pilate to release Barabbas, a ...

TIME FOR STILLNESS Stillness is hard to come by these days. It seems there is always something to think about or attend to. Things have happened that try to disrupt my peace and have somewhat succeeded when I dwelt on them. Yet, when I turned my focus back to God and what Jesus went through for me, my trials didn’t seem so bad after all. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not easy to deal with some of these issues, but I believe what this scripture tells us: We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. ( Romans 8:28 ). We may think we don't have time for stillness because of pressing issues. In an earlier post , I talked about finding stillness in different ways. In that post, I said, “I believe we can have a sense of calmness and tranquility  without  silence and with movement.” Of course, that doesn’t discount the fact that sometimes it does mean being still and quiet.  In our #oneword2024 Facebo...

PIPEDREAM OR REALITY We all have ideas of what we’d like our “someday” to be – getting that book published, finding our dream job, having an organized home with no clutter, etc. Someday is the word prompt for #FiveMinuteFriday . (I’m sure I took longer than 5 minutes). One of the first things that came to mind was a song from a Disney movie – Someday My Prince Will Come. Well, we all know there is no such thing on earth as a prince that will fulfill all our dreams. With a human being, it is not possible. We are all flawed, and when we look to other humans to satisfy our longings we will always be disappointed. Sure, we may be able to encourage and lift each other, but we can never fulfill all the needs of one another. Only God can fulfill our every need. He will never fail, and His love will never end. Because He loves us and knows what is best for us, He doesn’t always give us what we think we want. Yet, He always does what is best for us even if we don’t understand it at the ti...

photo taken April 2024 at Redington Shores, Florida SOME OR ALL? The word some is the #FiveMinuteFriday prompt. Some is a simple word but can be paired with other words like – somewhere, somehow, someone, sometime, something, and probably many more. The word some does not include all. That means when we choose one thing, we are not choosing other things.     We may choose some people to be our close friends and others remain acquaintances. Yet, whether close friends, acquaintances, or strangers - we can treat them all with kindness. Every person is created in the image of God and therefore has worth.    Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith. Galatians 6:9-10   a portion of an art journal page We may be tempted sometimes to treat peopl...