This week we were blessed with some of the most beautiful winter mornings I have ever seen. The frigid temperatures brought clear blue skies and unforgettable sunrises. The sun’s light sparkled on the fresh fallen snow like glitter. The trees were frosted with snow.

One morning after I dropped the kids off at school, I was called to one of my favorite places. It’s just down our street, but it’s peace and tranquility feel worlds away from the chaos of my house. Back at home the aftermath of the morning’s events awaited me; breakfast dishes still on the kitchen counter, the kids clothes and toys strewn about the living room, hats and gloves dumped in the back hall from the children looking for matching mittens. I set aside my to-do list and followed the inner voice telling me to go there. I trudged through the trail, down the snowy steps, gazing back up at the rocky cliffs above me. I reached the falls, mostly frozen (me and the water), yet the river still managed to persevere. In awe of God’s creations I stood and watched, stationary for longer than I had been in days.

I invite you, on occasion, in the chaos of life to follow the voice inside. Pause. Look. Listen. Take in the beauty that surrounds you. Soak it all in. Let everything else go. Then, like the river persists through the ice, as the water navigates around boulders, return to your life, refreshed, renewed and ready to persevere through IT’S challenges and maneuver the obstacles.