Solitude

A Silent Night

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From Divine Appointments…The Greatest Gift

The cabin is snug and cozy tonight.

Gently snoring, dogs on soft beds kick and yip as they dream of chasing the purring black cat nestled down and dozing on a warm blanket.

The fire glows brightly.

I watch the dancing colors mesmerize and hypnotize me from my favorite comfy chair; an old quilt jumbled around me. A steaming cup of tea warms the body and soul.

All is warm and pleasant.

The tree lights wink softly in the branches. It’s magical and enchanting.

My wandering mind recalls vivid scenes of Christmases past—pine-scented memories of the perfect tree, glowing lights, and cherished ornaments sparkling as they peek out from their carefully chosen spot on the Christmas tree.

Fragrant mugs of creamy cocoa with floating marshmallows mingle with the homey smells of holiday baking as Christmas carols sing out on the record player.

Memories of laughter and excited anticipation on Christmas Eve—Light of the world, blessed hope, holy and sacred.

The fire pops and crackles busily, snickering to itself as the peaceful evening flows on—past and present thoughts mix and blend, drowsy.

The distinctive sound of falling snow on this silent night.

Photo by hello aesthe

Candlelight

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Psalm 91:4 NIV

“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”

I was drinking my coffee in the hush of this foggy morning, savoring being alone before the demands of the day started fussing and insisting on attention. The soft light from these brightly glowing candles was soothing and peaceful.

Sitting in my kitchen listening to the world wake up, I noticed how easily the candlelight was swayed and pulled toward any disturbance in the air. The little lights struggled to stay lit, bouncing and fluttering to the whims of the draft, helpless to move, shift, or regain equilibrium on their own.

Watching the brave dancing of the candlelight brought to mind Psalm 91. Aren’t we often like these confident candles? We burn bright, strong, and lovely when things are calm and no disturbances surround us. We are proud and sure of ourselves and our world.

But…drafts happen. Gusts of change, storms of conflict, gales of fear, and the cold winds of diagnoses come, often suddenly, leaving us ill prepared and helpless. We blow around in the confusion and anxiety fearing that our light will extinguished; that we won’t be able to stay steady on our own.

Quietly at first, you hear a still, yet powerful voice echoing through the chaos, breaking through the whims of the wind. We hear Him and call out for help, rescue, and hope. Then, comes the brush of feathers along your cheek, the hush of being wrapped up tightly in wings of safety and peace, the scent of heaven surrounding you as you are sheltered, protected, and delivered from the chaos and debris the world and the wounds of humanity throw at us each day. He is faithful. He is good. He alone is the answer to the fickle winds of chaos that always come as part of living on this earth. But, we don’t have to save ourselves. He came to do that. Emmanuel, God with us. Always. Everywhere.

You are His treasure. Peace be with you.

Hope

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Hope

The house is silent tonight. Firelight flickers and logs snap in the woodstove. Tucked in and cozy under the quilt I feel peaceful. The only light is from the snickering fire and the Christmas lights strewn along the mantle glowing warm and soft. The small nativity scene nestled among the gentle light is beautiful. The Savior, Light of the world, Prince of Peace came for me all those years ago. He’s still coming. It wasn’t a one-time thing.

Every day He comes for me and He comes for you. The healing, the protection, the peace, the hope, and the rescue; it never stops. It renews and is reborn. His pursuit of us in the midst of the mundane and the ordinary, the fiery trials, the seasons of running from Him, the times of quiet rest, and the brilliance of joy and victory will continue until the appointed time when God Most High welcomes us Home.

This season of Advent is mysterious, supernatural, holy, and beautiful. I’m in awe of it all.

Sitting quietly before Him in the silence and peace of His presence, my heart feels full, safe, and full of hope, so much hope.

GIVEAWAY

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It’s time for a holiday giveaway!! 🥳 It will run today, Weds 12/3 – Sat 12/6 8pm PST. ⏰

Winner will choose a book from The Divine Series that I’ll sign and mail off to you. 📚📖

To enter:

Go to my Facebook author page and follow me – https://www.facebook.com/MelissaGiomiauthor

🎄Tag someone you think will enjoy the series, and

☃️Share a favorite holiday tradition from your family.

***Answers must be entered in the comments on the AUTHOR PAGE to count.***

I will use my wheel spinner to randomly choose the winner 🏆🏆🏆

Good luck!

Belated Thanksgiving!

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Happy belated Thanksgiving!

My husband and I are empty-nesters and this year with my son in the military overseas and my daughter not having much time off, we decided to do something different and go camping. We love to be in the outdoors whether it be camping, hiking, beach days – if it’s outdoors, we enjoy it! So off we went to a campground we’d never been to before in the Redwoods. It was chilly, damp (so firewood was testy and finicky), and gets dark early especially deep in the trees. We watched DVDs when it was too dark and chilly to be outside, cozy and warm in the trailer.

If you have read any of my books, you KNOW that mountains and forests are my happy place. The hikes we took did not disappoint! The Redwoods were breathtakingly beautiful. I felt a deep peace gently fall on me as we hiked in the stillness. The muted, filtered light was magical and ethereal, the fog soaked forest floor felt spongy and tender under our boots. The tiny spider webs looked like elaborately woven lace as drops of mist clung to each strand. I could feel restoration wrapping me up as I breathed in that one of a kind forest air hiking with my husband, enjoying our time away from busy city life.

We spent aday in a coastal town that we love exploring the shops, buying our favorite homemade jam, and walking along the headlands breathing in the salty sea air. So fresh and clean. The ocean and setting sun didn’t disappoint either!

I am so thankful that we decided to get outside our “normal” and camp in the woods. It was cold, refreshing, invigorating, and a much needed time away for us to hike, laugh, and just be for a couple days. Pressures and stressors melted away for a bit. It was good for our souls. God always knows what we need, even when it looks different than what we always do. For that, I am so thankful.

Blessings

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I’ve been thinking about blessings lately and the different forms it can take. This excerpt from Divine Appointments… talks about blessings and the different ways it might show up in our lives.

“Some blessings come after the hurt and wounds. The Divine often shows up in miraculous ways, turning devastation into glory, failure into victory, wounding into strength, and the impossible into something to be remembered in awe and reverence because there seemed to be no good ending, yet there was.

To live blessed, we need to be alert and seek it out. It won’t always show up immediately. Blessings may not be dressed up in blissful happiness and a cute outfit. Blessings may come dirty, scuffed up, straggling, and a bit off-kilter, but they will come. I have seen them come in both forms—equally holy, sacred, and consecrated. Blessed.

I want to live with an extravagant hope expecting blessing. I want to bloom where I am planted and thrive, no matter what it looks like. Holy, divine, sacred, and blissful happiness is all around, waiting with open arms for us to slow down and seek it. What is sought will be found.”

Wait

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Psalm 62:1 NLT “I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him.”

I don’t know what’s weighing heavily on you tonight. But I do know what it’s like to wait on the Lord for answers, for victory, for healing. I know the weight of fear, uncertainty, and soul deep exhaustion.

And…

I know that He is the God of healing, hope, and victory. God of the impossible!

I want to remind you tonight that you are seen. He knows every detail of what happened, what is happening, what is coming, and He is right there in the midst of all of it, working things out for your good. So calm your mind and breathe. Rest your eyes on Him, talk to Him, and wait quietly for Him to redeem, heal, save, and overcome. He has healing in His wings and a plan to prosper you, not to harm you. Be still….

You are loved. Peace be with you.

Sheep

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“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27 NIV

There are many competing voices clamoring for our attention. Trying to listen to them all is exhausting, confusing, and frustrating. It is easy to be caught up in trying to decipher truth, people-pleasing, and following the “correct” church or political leaders.

There are worldly voices that shout and demand but there are also Christian voices that confuse, lead astray, and exhaust the spirit, insisting you must “Do this!” “Do that!” “Pray this way!” “Follow this Bible reading formula!”

If we really listen to what Jesus is saying in this scripture, it isn’t condemning. His words aren’t angry, accusatory, or dividing. There isn’t a rote way of how things must be done and how we must act. He doesn’t endorse one Christian leader over another or one political party over another. He simply says to listen to HIS voice and follow HIM. Imitate Him.

In order to do this, we have to KNOW His voice. His. Not the loudest voice, the condemning voice, the voice that divides, the voice that appears to be strongest, or the voice that wounds others.

An easy way to know His voice is to ask Him to speak to you. Ask Him to drown out every other voice that seeks to confuse, disorient, and cause chaos. That isn’t His way. If a voice doesn’t align with God’s character and fruits of the Spirit, it likely isn’t His voice we are hearing.

This verse was comforting to me this morning. Jesus is giving us permission to simply be sheep that follow the voice of the Good Shepherd. The One who leads with kindness, compassion, and authority into green pastures, and along paths of righteousness where we rest and heal in His presence and invite others in to do the same. You are so loved. Peace be with you.

The Divine Series

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I’m excited to showcase my books on The Divine Series page. Follow the link to my Author page

https://www.amazon.com/author/melissagiomi

Divine books!

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If you haven’t picked up a copy of the books in the Divine series, here are some additional online platforms where you can find them.

Powell’s, Bookshop.org, Walmart, Indigo/Chapters, Barnes & Noble, EBAY, Half-Price books, Books-a-Million, Waterstones (UK).

If you are local, you can find them in-store at Reasonable Books in Lafayette, CA.

Thanks for all the support, friends, it means a lot!