Category Archives: My World

My writing and art collection relating to lifetime experiences.

Believing Through the Darkness

believing through the darkness

“Lights in the Darkness,” photograph by Felecia R. Weber 2014, OntheWingofaDove.com

Believing through the darkness into the light…what a revelation awaits us there!

“In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.  The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”  John 1:4-5

If you’ve been busy getting started on decorating your home for Christmas as I have, you will likely agree on how frustrating it can be to untangle the string of Christmas tree lights before hanging them (or tossing them away!).  The title for this post Believing Through the Darkness came to my mind just at the moment I did grab the trash can and was ready to throw my wad of lights into it.  Taking a deep breath, I decided to plug in the darkened bulbs one last time, and you know what?  The tiny lights seemed to sparkle, as though they were smiling at me.

Believing through the darkness, those times when our lives are not so cheery and bright, can be just as frustrating as dealing with tangled lights.  The thing is, we can’t just toss our lives away now can we?  Nope, we have to live them one day, one hour, one minute, one second at a time. Each increment of time can represent the knots in the string of lights that get even tighter when we tug and pull on them trying to get them apart.  The more we think about a problem that has us completely tangled, it wraps around us so tightly that we become trapped under a heavy coating of darkness that seems to smother us.

When I started tackling my mound of twisted strings of lights for a second round, I took one strand at a time and followed it through to the end.  As I cleared one strand, and then another, it felt as though I was following a unique path full of twists and turns with each one.  The same is true for each of our lives…we travel along dark and bumpy roads, yet when we get to the clear, smooth highway just ahead of us, our journey becomes filled with the warm glow of hope that sees us through to our destination.

I eventually got the lights all in order and strung around the tree.  My frown turned into a brilliant smile, as I stood staring at all of those tiny sparkles that dazzled before my eyes.  What a delight it is to see my little tree standing there, adorned with the twinkling array of colors and welcoming me home when I pull up to the driveway…it is the same glow that fills my heart when I think of the true light that fills my life; who’s birth we celebrate during this Christmas season.

May the life that Jesus Christ offers be the true light that guides you on your life’s journey.

Peace and love,

Felecia

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rating: +12 (from 12 votes)

What I Believe

What I Believe

“Feeling Blessed,” photograph courtesy of my sister, Marjorie Karimi

What I believe is full of hope; it is very real and oh so very true…

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  John 3:16

What I Believe

What I believe is not just a story,

of days gone by long ago.

No, it is more than I could ever imagine;

a gift that only God could bestow.

What I believe is rich, and abundant;

it makes my heart overflow with joy.

It shelters and protects me when I am afraid.

Indeed it’s like a fortress that no enemy can destroy.

What I believe is not dead, but bursting with life,

that which fills the heavens and earth.

How awesome, how wonderful, how magnificent it is;

and it all began for us on that glorious night of His birth.

What I believe is full of hope;

it is very real and oh so very true.

It is founded on God’s unending love,

and He freely gives it to me and to you.

Felecia R. Weber 2014, OntheWingofaDove.com

May your heart be filled to overflowing with the love that God has for you…and may you always believe in Him and what He gave to us on that first Christmas night.

Peace and love,

Felecia

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rating: +9 (from 9 votes)

Making Your House Your Home

Making your house your home

“Spring Morning (Detail), 1875, James-Jacques-Joseph Tissot. Image from a page of the 2014 Desk Calendar, courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art Store

Making your house your home. Home is where my heart is content…

“The Crown of the house is Godliness.  The Beauty of the house is Order.  The Glory of the house is Hospitality.  The Blessing of the house is Contentment.” (Old Inscription)

Home

Home is where I lay my hat,

I let my hair down and I rest.

In no other place will I find,

so much of what in my life is the best.

Home is where I feel secure,

where I laugh and cry aloud.

I can dance and sing and shout for joy,

for there I am hidden as under a cloud.

Home is where my heart is content,

and forever there God promises t o reside.

For it is He who fills each room with the love,

peace and joy, that my heart happily holds inside.

Felecia R. Weber 2014, OntheWingofaDove.com

Making your house your home is not as easy as it sounds.   In the fast pace of living that we all experience to some degree or another, “home” sounds like something far off in the distance.  Is making your house your home, one filled with the appealing attributes described above really attainable these days?  Is it really even desirable?

I think for all of us, the answer is YES!  As humans we have basic needs:  comfort, security, love, and a sense of purpose and belonging.  Those needs must be fulfilled in some way in order to make us whole.  Making your house your home, is certainly a good place to start.  This holiday weekend many of us will be out and about traveling to visit loved ones, shopping for that perfect Christmas gift, and enjoying the excitement that’s in the air.  But isn’t it a good feeling to know that at the end of the day, you’ll get to return to that warm and cozy, welcoming place that you call home?

making your house your home

“The Red Vine, Matinicus Island, Maine,” 1916, George Bellows. Image from a page of the 2014 Desk Calendar, courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art Store

I encourage you to fill your house with beautiful things, so that your eyes are filled with delight and pleasure there.  Welcome others into your house for a time of sharing the good things that you have to offer them.   Take care of your house, keep it clean and in good order so that you can relax and rest peacefully there.  And in all these things, be contented to spend quality time there no matter what.

Lastly, and what I believe is the true key to making your house your home…invite God into your home and into your heart.  For when He is there, filling every room with the love that only He can give, your home will not only be your house, it will be in your heart.  And God will reside with you there for all eternity.

“The house of the righteous stands firm.”  Proverbs 12:7

Peace and love,

Felecia

 

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rating: +4 (from 4 votes)

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day

“Flower Study,” 1866, John Jessup Hardwick. Image from a page of the 2014 Desk Calendar, courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art Store

Thanksgiving Day

I Remember When

November 26, 2014

“So once every year we throng upon a day apart, to praise the Lord with feast and song in thankfulness of heart.”  Arthur Guiterman, The First Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day always brings me home again when I feast upon some of the tastiest memories of my childhood.  Breathing deeply in my reverie, O can almost capture the smells of the turkey slowly baking in the oven; the candied yams browning under a heavy blanket of ALAGA syrup; and the macaroni and cheese bubbling over onto the foil-lined baking sheet.  Oh, and just the thought of the buttery layers of the crescent rolls makes my taste buds dance with delight!  My eyes light up too, when I peek back at the sight of all of the finery decorating the table.  The fancy china, cloth napkins and crystal wine glasses carefully placed before each chair somehow made me feel regal and all grown up.  My, I feel as though I’ve gobbled up my Thanksgiving Day meal already!

There is more, however, that fills me up when celebrating this special day.  The time spent with my family and friends warms me more than any specially prepared dish ever can.   Along with my childhood Thanksgiving Day memories, I am grateful for the ones that I, shared  with those whom I love so dearly, will make this year…and I plan to hold onto them closely to enjoy for the rest of my life.

Wishing you and yours a very full and blessed Thanksgiving Day!

Peace and love,

Felecia

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rating: +2 (from 2 votes)

It Would Have Been

It would have been

Our wedding day, November 21, 1987…forever will I cherish that day and the many beautiful years that followed.

It would have been like all those precious moments we’ve lived together and shared through our special love.

It Would Have Been

It would have been so lovely to share our anniversary with you today.

I am sure you’d vividly recall how we spent each one, over the years, along the way.

It would have been such a joy for me to see you in your favorite black sweater.

My sweet husband smiling at me through candlelight…my, nothing could be better.

It would have been such a thrill for me to be held tightly in your arms.

To hear you whisper, “I love you” to me; words written on our hearts like sparkling, silver charms.

It would have been like all those precious moments we’ve lived together and shared through our special love.

Although I’ll never get to be with you again here on earth…I am full of hope, my dear, sweet one, that we’ll join each other in heaven above.

Felecia R. Weber 2014, OntheWingofaDove.com

I dedicate this poem to my precious, late husband, Stephen Cullen Weber.  He made my life so full and complete over the almost 27 years we’ve shared in marriage.  I cannot express fully with words what joy, contentedness and honor I’ve had the privilege to experience during that time.  I was given so much and I am so grateful for that.  Going forward I can only promise that I will do all that I can to share what I have now, with those around me whom I love so much.

Peace and love,

Felecia

 

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rating: +16 (from 16 votes)

Old Things Become New

old things become new

Photograph courtesy of Martin Watson

Old things become new when we allow them to grow.  If we keep them in the past, what they can become, we’ll never know.

“No one sews a patch of un-shrunk cloth on an old garment. If they do, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse.  And people do not pour new wine into old wineskins.   If they do, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined.  No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”  Mark 21:22

Old Things Become New

Old things become new

when we allow them to grow.

If we keep them in the past,

what they can become, we’ll never know.

Old things become new

not always by what we do.

When you yield your life to God,

it’s amazing how He’ll transform you.

Let not your fear, nor your pride,

nor old ways of living hold you back.

For God is good and His love is sure,

trusting in Him, nothing at all will you lack.

Old things become new,

I challenge you to let go.

For your heart needs to be emptied,

so in it His treasures can truly overflow.

Felecia R. Weber 2014, OntheWingofaDove.com

We place an immeasurable value on the things that fill our lives.  However, they don’t always prove their worth.  I wonder what would happen if we really did let go of those things…and prepare for what could become new.

Peace and love,

Felecia

 

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rating: +6 (from 6 votes)

On Love and Loss

On Love and Loss

on love and lossA Quote to Carry You

November 17, 2014

“If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger.”  Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights

On love and loss…I believe that losing someone can be the catalyst for loving others more deeply.  One thing that I’ve learned after having lost my dear husband, is that life does go on…whether we choose to accept it or not…and it waits for no one.  Another thing that I have realized is that, losing a loved one does not have to be a time of emptiness.  It can actually be the fullest time one can ever experience.  When we move forward in love, bringing the love that we had for our beloved along with us, letting it saturate our lives, our loss becomes a beautiful bounty that we can share with those around us.

When the time comes for you to experience love and loss…may it spawn a harvest of love that never ends.

Peace and love,

Felecia

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rating: +5 (from 5 votes)

A Still Small Voice

still small voice

Photograph courtesy of Ray Flanagan Photography

A still small voice…it seems the times that God speaks to me the loudest is when His voice is the smallest.

“And he said, ‘Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord.’ And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and break in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake.  And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” 1 Kings 19:11-12

Tumultuous times can leave us feeling like we are in the center of a fierce storm. The roaring of waves and the clatter of thunder and lightening can be deadening.  Our emotions are tossed to and fro and seemingly the entire cloud-strewn sky comes crashing down on us before we ever reach the shore.  A still small voice…really?

Yes…it seems the times that God speaks to me the loudest is when His voice is the smallest.  What happens after we are shipwrecked?  When all is quiet and we awaken from the daze.  At that point we are broken, and in desperate need of mending.  Those are the times when that still small voice can truly resonate within us.  Although the fragments of our situation are scattered around us, we are poised to receive what God has to say; and His wisdom abounds. 

As the creator of the universe, God can calm any storm that threatens to turn your world upside down.  All nature and mankind are ultimately under His command.  He needn’t shout; He needn’t make a ruckus…His still small  voice is all that is needed.  It is up to us to listen to Him.

“Can you hear His still small voice?  Do you seek it during the storm?  When all else fails, and the pieces fall, listen for Him; He will instruct and inform.”  Felecia R. Weber, OntheWingofaDove.com

May you always listen for God’s still small voice…and may His truth speak volumes to your heart.

 

Peace and love,

Felecia

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rating: +4 (from 4 votes)