A New Perspective

I have a lot of favorite songs. Some I like for the pure fun of singing and dancing along to the melody and some I like because I feel a connection to the lyrics. One song that I like to turn up and sing along with is Francesca Battistelli’s This Is the Stuff. Every time I hear it, I try to take it to heart. How many times do I forget “how big I’m blessed” because I’m so caught up in all the craziness of everyday life? I have to say it’s more often than I’d like it to be.

 Time to Slow Down

Aside from believing that when I hear that song it’s a personal message to me from God, I also think God occasionally tries to slow me down on the road. Everybody has those times when they’re trying to get somewhere, but they keep getting “stuck” behind the slowest driver in the world. After getting aggravated for a short time, I finally relax, turn off the radio and say “Okay, God. I get it. What is it you want to tell me?”

 All Tangled Up

There is a quote from St. Pio in Julie Davis’ Happy Catholic that struck me as a very cool way to think about things.

There’s a woman who is embroidering. Her son, seated on a low stool, sees her work, but in reverse. He sees the knots of the embroidery, the tangled threads. He says, “Mother, what are you doing? I can’t make out what you are doing!” Then the mother lowers the embroidery hoop and shows the good part of the work. Each color is in place, and the various threads form a harmonious design. So, we see the reverse side of the embroidery because we are seated on a low stool. 
                                                                                                                                        ~St. Pio

Later, in her reflection, Julie says “The big picture. We have to keep it in mind when the knots and tangles are getting us down.” It reminds me of the lyrics to This Is the Stuff: “In the middle of my little mess, I forget how big I’m blessed.”

 It’s Hard…But Worth It

In the midst of our daily activities, it can be hard to remember to stop, think about what really matters, and count our blessings. When you can’t find your keys, it’s hard to think how fortunate you are to have a car. I’ve decided a good perspective makes the day-to-day inconveniences seem a lot less annoying. It’s not easy to do, and sometimes (honestly maybe even a lot of the time) I still get caught up in the stuff that really doesn’t matter. I just keep trying, praying that God will give me the strength to rise above it and see the embroidery instead of the knots.

What keeps you from counting your blessings and seeing the embroidery? What do you do to help keep things in perspective?

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Photo: Piyachok Thawornmat / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

About the Author

Angela Glassmeyer

Angela Glassmeyer is the institutional marketing and sales manager at Franciscan Media. She is blessed with three amazing children and a husband who both encourages and inspires her. She loves to entertain and feed large crowds of family and friends, but does not love the cleanup that comes with it. Angela has been actively involved at St. James of the Valley for almost twenty years and has served as the PSR coordinator since 2005.