Can you hear it?
Close your eyes and quietly listen for the pitter-patter of tiny rain drops dancing in the puddles with one another.
Imagine a small child abandoned in the kisses of a delicate spring shower against her face.
Can you hear it?
Bask in the soothing song of a gentle waterfall which flows into a peaceful stream below.
Rain drops dancing in puddles.
A small child kissed from the spring shower against her face.
The music of a waterfall cascading over the river banks into the stream below.
With eyes still closed, imagine your cup full of God’s blessings, cascading over the rim into the puddles and quiet stream of your cup’s saucer.
It is written…
…my cup overflows with blessings.
Psalms 23:5 (NLT)
Our life is a cup.
Oh, that our eyes see the overflow of our cups as God’s abundance, His “more than enough” for us, heaven’s wealth in our life.
Looking back in the rear-view mirror of the past 365 days, it’d be easy to believe we’ve been drinking from the bitter cup throughout this year of 2021.
Navigating the “firsts” of our maiden year without mother would have been a cup full for our family these last twelve months.
But then the calm cascade over the rim of our cup caught us gasping for breath when the peaceful stream became a rip-current of ten more good-byes.
A Final Call for our military brother Joe.
One final lap for our Indy 500 enthusiast brother Mark.
Another brother Ruben.
Two Papa’s.
Three cousins.
Two friends.
Yes, so many good-byes;
So many home-going celebrations;
So many tears;
Yet, a cup of rejoicing as all our loved ones took their seat around the Father’s Banqueting Table in heaven.
Sometimes we need to trace God’s hand to understand his heart.
God is a good Father, even when our eyes are blinded to his ways.
Regardless of so many good-byes, God was ever present in the joys of all our hellos in each new day.
Life presses forward with or without our consent. The sun continues to shine amid a cloudy day. You must be intentional to witness God’s hand upon our days, the mini miracles of a cup overflowing.
2021 has been a cup of mini miracles in the Alicea family.
Papa and I have enjoyed our ten grandchildren embrace their gifting and special places in our lives.
We’ve smiled and thanked God for sons who watered their daughter’s hearts at a Daddy Daughter Dance.
We’ve rejoiced over our oldest granddaughter’s Sweet Sixteen, taking her first steps into womanhood.
A husband and wife thanked God for another glorious year of marriage celebrated at their honeymoon cottage.
We are forever grateful for our furry family.
We give God all the glory for the wonderful parents our children have become.
This father is overwhelmed by his daughter who has blossomed into her own.
We’ve cherished the quality time spent with our grandchildren; especially when it meant travelling to Hawaii to hug them.
With eyes still closed, our cup is full of God’s blessings, cascading over the rim into the puddles and quiet stream of our cup’s saucer.
Yes it is written…
…my cup overflows with blessings.
Psalms 23:5 (NLT)
We see our cup running over even though a husband and wife spent the 2021 Christmas and New Year’s holidays alone, from each other and from family. Although, we were never truly alone.
As another name for Jesus is Immanuel,
God with us.
Christmas was never about us, but about a baby born in a manger, a Savior who would one day grow up and bear the cross for our salvation; a Christmas gift of eternity if we’d receive Him.
For this alone,
Our Cup Runneth Over!
Apples of Gold Encouragement 