Monthly Archives: December 2016

1323. I like the fact that in ancient Chinese art the great painters always included a deliberate flaw in their work: human creation is never perfect. ~Madeleine L’Engle

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Perfectly imperfect…

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“We have all heard that no two snowflakes are alike. Each snowflake takes the perfect form for the maximum efficiency and effectiveness for its journey. And while the universal force of gravity gives snowflakes a shared destination, the expansive space in the air gives each snowflake the opportunity to take its own path. All of them are on the same journey, but each takes a different path. Along this gravity-driven journey, some snowflakes collide and damage each other, some collide and join together, some are influenced by wind…there are so many transitions and changes that take place along the journey of the snowflake. But, no matter what the transition, the snowflake always finds itself perfectly shaped for its journey. I find parallels in nature to be a beautiful reflection of grand orchestration. One of these parallels is of snowflakes and us. We, too, are all headed in the same direction. We are being driven by a universal force to the same destination. We are all individuals taking different journeys and along our journey, we sometimes bump into each other, we cross paths, we become altered…we take different physical forms. But at all times we too are 100% perfectly imperfect. At every given moment we are absolutely perfect for what is required for our journey. I’m not perfect for your journey and you’re not perfect for my journey, but I’m perfect for my journey and you’re perfect for your journey. We’re heading to the same place, we’re taking different routes, but we’re both exactly perfect the way we are. Think of what understanding this great orchestration could mean for relationships. Imagine interacting with others knowing that they too each share this parallel with the snowflake. Like you, they are headed to the same place and no matter what they may appear like to you, they have taken the perfect form for their journey. How strong our relationships would be if we could see and respect that we are all perfectly imperfect for our journey.” ~Edited passage by Steve Maraboli

…but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ~1 Corinthians 13:10  ✝

**Macro photos of snowflakes via Pinterest; collage by Natalie

1322. That which God said to the rose, and caused it to laugh in full-blown beauty, He said to my heart, and made it a hundred times more beautiful. ~Rumi

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I pray that all of you had a wonderful Christmastide, and that you are looking forward to 2017. We’ve been gone from home since last Thursday as we went to visit my daughter and her family. We had a wonderful time, and so I return home thankful and blessed. I did my best to keep up with your posts via my cell phone and to reply to comments. Since I don’t receive emails on my cell phone, I had to depend on the WP reader, comment page, or notifications page via my phone. So I apologize if I missed anything due to their lack of reliability. I’m back home now and am looking forward to another year of blogging, both mine and yours. Love, Natalie

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Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. ~Psalm 34:8  ✝