Had I Truly Loved? Reflections During Winter Storm
Sometimes during certain seasons, especially winter, one has time to reflect upon life and wonder. To live this life truly loving others is truly living this life, but had we truly loved?
Solace of Winter's Stillness
"If I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge,” wrote the apostle Paul, “and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give it all away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”
(1 Cor.13:2-3 ESV)
Listen While You Read
Striving for What Exactly?
Here we all are living this life. A beautiful gift we have been given indeed. We can truly try our best to do whatever it is our heart desires or to be the person we so choose to be in this life. It may be that we are so determined and go through this life showing such determination and restraint to the uttermost, even though giving up much that is good for what we perceive as better. Better for whom?
We have but one life here on this temporal world to live, laugh, experience and to love. Once we have lived our lives and in looking back at all that we have done, if we are unable to know without a doubt that we have truly loved, then it would have been a life wasted, would it not?
It is never too late to truly love. However, we do not want to wait (speaking of winter here) until the winter of our lives is at hand, and the last of the vivid leaves have fallen, to love.
A couple of weeks ago, as the deep South became a winter wonderland of snow and ice, not its norm, it was during those quiescent days of winter, when we were literally unable to leave our home for three days, I found myself in deep reflection about life while peering out at the barren trees and snow-covered hills.
What a beautiful sight to behold, as our little world down here became dormant, so quiet and still. As each day passed, it was getting colder. I could feel the cold creeping across the hills into the town and out through farming country. What I realized during those three days of being forced to slow down our normal life of going and trying, is just that …attempting to live that life we have envisioned in our minds, it just may be possible in doing so that we wake up one day feeling disconnected to those we are meant to love.
Where Do We Go from Here?
Why Are We so Bad at Slowing Down for Anything?
Back when, it was decided for us when it was time to slow down a bit of our labor, forced by the earth itself. Nowadays, however, most live in the cities or suburbs and do not work the land. Therefore, we are now able to work around the clock from anywhere within the blue glow of the screen. Many of us do this while attempting to lead a fulfilling life.
Peering out onto the stillness of winter, I reflected on the past weeks and months. I was amazed at how full they had been with all kinds of things, both worthwhile and not. I thought of the hours I spent running errands, chasing grandchildren, working the job and, yes, sadly, scrolling through photos and articles on my Smartphone. That is when it hit me …had I loved?
Sharing "Piano" by Patrick Phillips
“Touched by your goodness, I am like that grand piano we found one night on Willoughby that someone had smashed and somehow heaved through an open window.
And you might think by this I mean I’m broken or abandoned, or unloved. Truth is, I don’t know exactly what I am, any more than the wreckage in the alley knows it’s a piano, filling with trash and yellow leaves.
Maybe I’m all that’s left of what I was. But touching me, I know, you are the good breeze blowing across its rusted strings.
What would you call that feeling when the wood, even with its cracked harp, starts to sing?”
Do not Forget to Love
In our daily toil of attempting to live that life we have envisioned in our minds, can cause us to forget to love the people God has given to us to love and to be loved by. He places them in our lives so that we might find hope, even in all of the chaos of life, and recall who we really are.
Maybe we do not always know who we are or where we ought to be, but when we remain present in our relationships and true to the love we are called, just maybe we will hear the beautiful music of love rising above all of the chaos.
In reading the poem here, the people we love “are the good breeze blowing across its rusted strings.” Maybe we might even be able to ask with the poet, “What would you call that feeling when the wood, even with its cracked harp, starts to sing?”
Stillness of Winter
POLL
What season of the year do you find yourself in deep reflection about your life?
For All that Falls, Green Life Will Come Again
Peach Orchards just Beginning to Bloom
Bradford Pear Tree just Beginning to Bloom
New Life Returns in full Color
Life Begins Anew
Daffodils in Bloom
Remember to Love
While driving around my neighborhood and taking the photos above, I was and am astonished at just how fast new life forges from the earth, even after being covered in snow and ice just a couple of weeks ago.
I am reminded that no matter what, life is meant to go on for now. The new life I have seen emerging from the frozen ground gives me hope as to beginning anew in our relationships with one another.
Remember to love those who God has given you to love, and please allow yourself to be loved by them too. In doing so, then when the winter of our lives is truly at hand, we can know without a doubt, we had loved.
© Copyright Faith Reaper, March 13, 2014
Dusky Turtledove
Song of Solomon 2:11-13 ESV
"For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree ripens its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away."
Fig Tree with Fruit
Comments
Hi, faith reaper,
(seriously)
Just dropped by to say hello. I promise.
Be in peace.
This is a wonderful hub and the4 pictures really bring to life what you are talking about in your article. I especially like the snow pictures...walking in the snow in winter time always made me very contemplative!
Excellently phrased, "...the beautiful music of love rising above all of the chaos." The options? Bitterness and anger? Cold carelessness? All are hopeless, only love is not.
I've often thought of the definition of love and how it has been distorted by people who want to dismiss it. We can even see that distortion in an angry child's temper tantrum. Just this morning I read about faith, hope, and love from D. A. Carson, "Here we find the metaphor of the armor of God, but not with the associations found in Ephesians 6:10-17—once again demonstrating that these were fresh and living forms of speech, not clichés emptied of all power except comforting repetition."
Though you wrote this during a beautiful, quiet winter season I find that on this spring morning with all the bright hope being displayed in new growth and the promise of new life displayed in God's faithfulness of His design for the seasons your pondering has reminded me to be careful to follow His direction for loving others in this day of offered grace.
(Meant to let you know that the bush is forsythia, I'm pretty sure.)
I loved reading this creative tribute to our wonderful planet with its seasons. Thank you for sharing. Awesome.
So well said, Faith.
And words carefully chosen cause me to stop and reflect and be aware that I share my love with those who fill my life
God gives us so much to make this walk a lovely one despite the ugly that may be found. Seeking goodness and surrounding ourselves with it helps us to deflect that which would distract us from God's love and blessings.
I am always refreshed when I stop by, Faith.
Again sending blessings and hugs and many Angels your way ps
What a beautiful and colorful hub. I think wondering if we loved or, were truly loved, is a question we all reflect on at one time or another. I think wanting to be loved is the motivating force behind everyone's deepest desire. By the way the pictures of the snow are breathtaking. Living in California, I've never seen real snow.
Great hub with beautiful images. Life is short & Man is mortal indeed. Why are we are bad in such a short life. We must think. Being Good always pays, if not in this world, then surely in the HEREAFTER .
Love the transition in this piece. very well written
Wonderful hub my friend with equally beautiful photos to go with. Sharing and votes up beautiful.
I don't know how I missed this timeless hub about love. We think we love so easily but we need to take the time to think about our blessings and how we show our love.
A great reminder Faith and no surprise coming from such a loving heart. Blessings.
Voted up, useful, beautiful, and interesting.
Very well written hub reminding us of the beauty each different season holds and encouraging us to enjoy them .
What a lovely Hub, and quite inspirational. It also reminds us, this past week, that winter has it's own special beauty, and it is a perfect time for reflection. Shared!
Rebirth is wonderful, isn't it? You touch on something we all need to do. Slow down. Enjoy what is around us. Your beautiful pictures take us through a memorizing cycle of change. Thank you and best wishes, Kim.
This was a wonderful experience. To read your views of love while listening to the piano music that I love so much. What a great idea Faith.
Beautiful words and beautiful thoughts, reminders of the greatest gift is life and love. Thank you ,I appreciate your expressions.
Beautiful words and beautiful thoughts, reminders of the greatest gift is life and love. Thank you ,I appreciate your expressions.
Paul penned so many words that touch our lives all of these years later.
The one you shared is so powerful.
There are many wonderful contemporary Christian songs, uplifting and inspiring that convey that message: without love we are shallow empty
and lonely
Well expressed, Faith....pausing because nature forces us often causes us to be introspective and it is a good thing.
Many Angels are on the way to you my dear Friend. voted up++++ and shared
Paul penned so many words that touch our lives all of these years later.
The one you shared is so powerful.
There are many wonderful contemporary Christian songs, uplifting and inspiring that convey that message: without love we are shallow empty
and lonely
Well expressed, Faith....pausing because nature forces us often causes us to be introspective and it is a good thing.
Many Angels are on the way to you my dear Friend. voted up++++ and shared
LOL. Sorry. Thanks.
Jan. 28
Dear Faith Reaper,
I did. And I am not your enemy. I love Jesus and I love Him too much to cause Him, you or anyone else the least bit of shame. You are welcome for the truthful comments.
I did not count my comments. Honest.
And you are welcome. And I ask your forgiveness once again.
Kenneth
Dear Faith Reaper,
You are very welcome. I do enjoy your writing. And that is the ONLY reason that I visit here.
I am not a stalker, drug dealer or anyone worldly. I promise. And I apologize for commenting too much.
I just wanted to see one of my hubbers get the credit and honor from HubPages that you deserve and I love your phrasings.
I will wait until you publish a new hub and then comment more moderately.
Again. I am so sorry. Please forgive me. I meant no harm.
Hey, Faith Reaper,
11:26 p.m., cst, Jan. 26
A late-night hello to a Special Friend of Mine with My prayers for a Legion of Warrior Angels to fight your battles and give you the peace of God.
Your Friend for Life,
Kenneth
Jan 23, 12:55 a.m., cst
Dear Faith Reaper,
You are very welcome. God bless you also, my dear friend and you keep sowing those good seed and blessing people like you have blessed me. I am honest. You are such a blessing to me.
Kenneth
Dear Friend, Faith Reaper,
God bless you richly. I am sincere in my prayer. You are one special soul. I am grateful to God for you being in my life.
Dearest Faith Reaper,
I do not know how to thank you, my Dear Friend. That is so sweet and kind of you. I.O.U. big time. I shall return the favor.
You are welcome and God bless you richly.
Jan. 21
Hey, Faith Reaper!
Surprise! I thought that while I was this close to your abode, that I would stop by and say hi and offer you my prayers for YOU to have a Great Thursday as well as the other days of the week whatever they are called.
You stay centered in the faith and sow those good seed, girl.
Life is a priceless gift. We should appreciate every minute of it. Love is the answer. Love can melt the hardest of hearts. Inspiration comes in many forms. I find that during the fall season around Thanksgiving and throughout the Christmas holiday I am most reflective. These are beautiful images of winter storm especially the snow covering the entrance of your home. I am sorry that I haven't been following your posts since I am hardly here anymore, but I will try to follow-up more. hugs & blessings. Doc
Unless my eyes are completely out of whack the beautiful plant with yellow flowers is forsythia...gorgeous. Momma used to have the all over our yard in VA.
The stillness, silence when you step out onto the newly fallen snow in winter is part of the wonder of this time of the year. And while I no longer find this around me in winter, I still can feel how it moved me when I ventured out.
This was a lovely piece especially the opening, Teresa.
Hoping all is going well for you and yours this new year.
Angels are winging their way to you bringing many blessings. ps
shared g+ tweeted and Voted up ++++
P.S. @ Faith Reaper,
I will make it to your hubs and read about Brownie asap.
And you are welcome for the "laughter is good" because it came from God's book and it works.
I sincerely appreciate YOU as a Good Friend already, a Dear Friend and a Christian young woman. Oh yeah, for your following too.
Your Genuine Friend for Life,
Kenneth
Jan. 12, at night.
My Dearest Faith Reaper,
I feel so useful now. Thank God. I made you laugh and you know what The Word says about laughter being the best medicine?
I would love to read this piece about your Brownie and sure, I will cry for I am a sensitive person. No kidding at all.
I pray that you will receive The Best, Most-Refreshing, Fulfilling week with God EVER.
And Thank you for the sweet compliment, my Dear Friend.
10:50 p.m., /cst/Sunday
Dearest Faith Reaper,
It was MY pleasure to visit your hub. Hearing from you is like getting lost in rainbow factory with all of your favorite candy to eat for FREE as you and your favorite pet dog, "Moonbeam," a highly-intelligent Border Collie, roam free as a dove--seeking new horizons each new day that is sent.
Note; I had best stop or otherwise, I will be the first hubber to write a hub completely inside a comment box. Wow.
Have a safe night, Faith. And a blessed week.
Kenneth
Gladly and with Much Pleasure . . .Your Genuine Friend for Life
Winter is a great time of reflection and I loved the photos and how they returned to a beautiful spring. Thanks for sharing. whonu
Faith,
I know that Sparklea's comment isn't to me, but I find it, her comment, very soulful, direct, and very moving. Just like your hub.
You two keep up the fine work.
Kenneth
This is a beautiful hub. I loved all your pictures. They are so pretty. It is hard for us to stay still and I do not know why it is such a taboo to do so. Being still is taken as being lazy by some. It makes no sense. It is the being still that we get our guidance of what we should be doing. It is the peace that we all need to refresh us and rejuvinate it. Thank you for your message.
Oh, Faith, this is one of the most beautiful hubs I have read! Voted up, awesome and beautiful! The winter pictures I suspect are from your beautiful home? The yellow bush is a forsythia...we had one in our yard growing up.
You are correct, winter is truly a time for reflection. It is one of my favorite seasons. It is only 1 degree here. I bundle up every morning and take my hot thermos of coffee on my walk...THIS is my time of reflection. 6 a.m. All is still. Moon and bright stars above, then greeted by a pink sunrise. God is PRESENT in the stillness and to reflect on the beauty - His free gift of the seasons, and winter being the most appropriate time to ask, "have I loved?" Most important is KNOWING the Spirit of God in us LOVES US, and we, in turn use His Spirit to love back His creation. Everything comes full circle, and it is so important to truly not waste a single second of our days here during our short lives. This is a stellar write and the spring time pictures you share portray so much hope to the reader. God bless you, God is using you in a very powerful way. You are one of God's gifts to me, and I cherish knowing you. Blessings, Love Sparklea :)
Hi, Faith Reaper, and Jo Goldsmith,
I bless you both in Jesus' name for a long and happy literary career on HP and off, if you both take to writing books. Which yo uboth can do with ease.
God do bless your lives with tons of happiness, laughter, and success.
Your Friend for Life,
Kenneth
Hello Faith!
What a wonderful read about reflection on love. And the peace and serenity of winter pondering. :-) I very much enjoy those days when I have a moment to pause and reflect. I think winter is a well deserved break for Mother Nature. She provides so much beauty in the Spring, my favorite time of the year. It is only fitting that she have her rest in the winter. Shared, up and tweet! Much love & hugs! :-)
(((((((((( Faith ))))))))))))) Thank you for the great read.
Jan. 10--12:35 a.m./cst
Hi there, Sweet Faith Reaper,
No thanks necessary. It was my pleasure. And you spoke the word that I was looking for to describe you: Precious.
You stay warm. 17 degrees here. Ugh.
Hi Theresa, beautiful writing and beautiful pictures :) Happy New Year!
Jan. 9, 10:27 p.m./cst/COLD
Dear Faith Reaper,
Now I am blushing. Thank you so much and listen. YOU are the sweetheart here. You may not know it, but you be releasing your warm and caring subconscious self in your writing. If you didn't know that. And now you do. Do not stop. It is a beautiful thing to read your works.
Thank you for your prayers, care, special Friendship, following and shining talent.
Love You and Lifting You up To Jesus.
Kenneth
Jan. 7, cold and colder!
Dearest Faith Reaper,
Thank you, Dear Friend, for Your Expressive talent shown in this piece. You, my Dear Friend, are a Great writer. And how I know that you are Great is that you take every detail of your stories and explain them in such simplicity that they fit into the fabric of your stories with the smoothness of Chinese silk.
Honest.
And Thank You, Faith, for Your Friendship and Following. Both mean lots to me. But your willigt 2015ness to pray for me means everything.
Please know that.
{{{Hugs to You also}}}
And Love Much too.
P.S. I pray that 2015 is The Year that All of your unanswered prayers are answered and all of your dreams not realized, finally become reality.
Sincerely,
Kenneth, Your Friend for Life
My Dearest Faith Reaper,
Jan. 5
You are very welcome.
I have never asked you this, but I need your prayers for I am under attack from all places, my church--those I have trusted, loved, confided in and things are surfacing from them how they have used me and now after getting a teaching position, they gave it to the oldest daughter and husband of church pastors. This is only one instance.
Just pray, dear friend.
Love, Kenneth
Dear Faith Reaper,
I just want to Wish You and Yours, and Everyone on This hub,
a "Very Blessed New Year."
Keep up this fine work and I ask that you pray for me and keep in touch with me.
This is absolutely beautiful. It inspires me to stop for a moment to take notice of my life and the world around me. The photos are absolutely gorgeous.
Hi Theresa... a blessing to find this wonderful work you have put together. As we fast approach the Christmas Season I think it so very important for all of us to slow and look at where we have been and what we have done. Consider all whom are near and dear to us.
I just wanted to share with you that you are such a blessing to many, know that we all love you my friend...
Hugs and Blessings to you and yours...
Dear Theresa, thank you for including Chopin in this beautiful hub - I love listening to his music. Your photos are beautiful and set a wonderful ambiance for your thoughts and writing.
That lovely bright yellow bush is Forsythia. It comes in that color and also in a deep red.
Thank you for sharing all this beauty.
@ Faith Reaper,
I was just crusing by and thought that I would stop and say . . .
"Merry CHRISTmas to You and Yours. Keep turning out great hubs like this."
Your Friend for Life, Kenneth
great article nice music you make me dream :)
Beautiful hub,totally mesmerised with the lovely pictures.amazing.
Faith, I really liked the pictures you added to this hub, in addition to your message. Love is everything. Sometimes I find myself getting distracted by many things that don't matter in life, your hub is a great reminder to love and be loved.
Hi Faith just stopped by to read your lovely hub. I can always get a pick me up from your hub. The music is great. Bless you
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