Heart Hope by Olga

My friend Susan is intrigued with why God gave her a love of horses. She has adored them ever since we first met and has been known to take me on all kinds of adventures from riding them in the mountains of Colorado to the sandy beaches of the Bahamas. At times we have laughed so hard that we cried on these experiences. Susan is much more of a horse woman than I. She has competed in cutting horse competition and has done quite well, so I have always just been the tag-a-long on the adventures. Each time Susan asks me why I think God gave her the love of the equestrian sport, I think about why God has put diverse feelings, desires and passions within each of us. If no one loved horses, God would not have anyone to be His vessel to minister to, love, teach or serve others with that passion. There would be no one to pass along the gospel message to them. It's the same with each of the things we love whether it is sports, culinary, creativity, animals or any other thing. God wants to

It was Christmas night and we had a house full of guests—eleven to be exact. You can imagine the hubbub of activity going on in order to get the Christmas evening meal on the table. Turkey, dressing and all of the trimmings can be a difficult meal to get everything prepared at the same time. The green beans had been cooking at a very low temperature, so when I took them off of the burner to put them into the serving dish, I forgot to turn the gas flame off.  The meal was served, and the dishes cleaned and put away when we all decided to watch the movie, Dolphin Tale. All were crowded onto the sofa and lounge chairs to watch the heartwarming story. Some ended up sleeping through parts of the movie with snores or just a few minutes of shut eye, so when it was over we were all ready for bed. Just a quick visit to the kitchen was needed to flip off the lights and check the appliances. I glanced at the stove, and there were no flames, so I started to turn away, but something (or Someon

It was one of those bitter cold mornings that we can experience in Colorado with the car thermometer registering a brisk -7 degrees. As I pulled through the neighborhood on my way to work my hands were freezing as I clutched the icy steering wheel. Rubbing my hands together to warm them up I realized how silly I was--there was a pair of gloves lying on the passenger seat next to me. Why was I suffering when I could have protection from the elements in an instance by placing my hands into the fur lined leather gloves? So that's what I did. On the way to work I thought how this illustrates our lives. As Christians we have a wonderful resource of protection…God, but how often do we fail to put Him on as we go through life. We often start our day without ever asking God to be a part of it. We don't call upon the greatest power that we have at our fingertips. God desires to be with us to guide us, to teach us, to protect us. All we have to do is ask. Just as that glove did

My mother is a master gardener. I don’t mean that she has been certified by the horticulture society, but she loves a beautiful yard and has a talent for growing things which hasn’t diminished over the 86 years of her life. She enjoys gardening so much that she has even been known to say that when she gets to heaven she hopes, God will give her a job in the garden.   On the other hand I did not inherit her green thumb, but I have made an observation about beautiful flowers. Daylilies are among my mother’s favorite flowers in her garden. She has all different sizes, colors and varieties of the summer time flowers. They bring her great joy as they bloom; she will go out early in the morning to see which ones will be opening for the day and then at dusk she returns to pick off the dead blossoms. It doesn’t seem to bother her that they only last for one day. There are other flowers that last for a long time. The orchid is one of those that can last for as long as three months. The

Last weekend while trying to catch a snow report and watch the Indian snow dance on Good Morning Vail there were also segments from local vendors. Realtors were on the program trying to sell multi-million dollar homes positioned on mountain tops which would be used as second or third homes. Another shop owner was talking about the new ski gear that could be purchased to make your ski experience more enjoyable. A jeweler appeared who was inviting viewers to stop in and purchase a Rolex watch as a Valentine’s gift for their sweetheart. He had displayed watches with mother of pearl and meteorite faces, ones with diamond bezels which were made of a variety of different materials including gold and platinum. They were beautiful and of great monetary value. After watching all of the opulence on TV I stopped to have my quiet time which took me to Psalm 19:9-11 that says:   The fear of the LORD is pure,    enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure    and altogether r

When you live and work in a ski resort you expect to have snow; actually everything depends on it. Visitors come expecting it and are disappointed if it is not present. While the past few years have had an abundance of the white stuff, this year there has been a shortage of the real flakes falling from the sky. Due to good snowmaking capability and the grooming equipment available in Eagle County, Colorado we have been able to accommodate guests from around the world with an enjoyable experience even if there has not been a lot of snow.  However it is always desirable to have natural fresh powder. That’s why Vail Mountain called in the experts—the Ute Indians who have been coming to the mountains in years past when snow was needed. Apparently they have some “powers” that encourage snowfall. I’m not one who believes in magic powers or chants or dances in order to produce snowfall, so I was a bit skeptical of the news.   My doubt in their abilities was transformed into excite

Yesterday as a co-worker passed my desk, he said with a grin, “There she goes again, doing what she does best…smiling.” It was a simple statement that could be taken in several different ways. I could have assumed the negative, and thought to myself, “I must not be very good job at my work if smiling is the best thing I do.” The conversation in my head could have continued with, “You mean my spreadsheets are not my strength? The way I handle an unhappy guest is not my strong suit? My ability to multitask is not an asset to the department?” And on and on I could go. However, I have learned an important lesson in life and that is to always assume the best. Whether it is a word spoken or an action toward me, I try to look at it from the best perspective possible. Now I really do think that my co-worker meant his statement as a compliment, but even if he hadn’t, my life would be better off assuming that was his purpose.  I try to smile often because it makes me feel better and I h

Happy New Year everyone! It’s hard to imagine that it’s already 2012. The days, weeks, months and years seem to be flying by faster than we can imagine. This morning I was thinking that God didn’t have to create this world with the order that we experience. It could have been designed so that we wake up each morning and don’t know what to expect. Would it be a short day or a long one? Would it be cold or hot with no semblance of seasons? Would we be able to grow crops or would there even be a growing season? Yet God didn’t leave us to wonder; He created the world so that it has order with seasons and moon cycles and even years. I think that God had a purpose in having a new year every 365 days. First it is a way for us to keep track of time, but it also gives us an occasion for new beginnings, a time for change and a time to start new habits or to eliminate old ones. It’s also a time to put away the past, to get rid of the negative things from the year that has ended. I’m n