what could i not live without

What could I NOT live without? This was a question for a writing assignment recently. Do enjoy this brief answer, and perhaps write one in return. 😊
Needed to LIVE
The first thing i think about is Love. All my family has expressed their love for each other very openly and very sincerely. I never felt that stiffness in a hug so typically revealed through surface relationships. When my uncles and aunts and cousins shared a welcoming hug, i KNEW i was loved. They were all sincere and if there was EVER an issue that needed clearing, it was immediately discussed and settled so the safety of this LOVE from the time i was just a baby, kept me from ‘stuffing’ my emotions. That love is something i must have to continue life’s assignment.

It is interesting that God lined me up to spend 40 years married to a ‘stuffer.’ (I must say, however, that the match was heaven-made, and all those years were pure delight!) I feel sorry for people hindered in their expressions of love. They just stuff their feelings so deep, that affection and genuine love and compassion are hard to express for them. This is a sad thing. We are all individually and fearfully made by our Creator, so any fundamental change in our personalities or character must be intentionally pursued. And we MUST love and respect each fellow traveler, accepting them for the person they are while still protecting our own fragile and vulnerable natures. So, I try not to ‘stuff’ my emotions, and i need the freedom of love’s expression to live a full life.

I also see how living with a cat, is a source of peace for me. I suppose i could actually ’live without’ a kitty; but i sure don’t want to try it! A cat fills that empty need for affection when i miss human interaction. I look forward to her warmth and cuddles, and, yes, i talk to her! My Kitty enhances my vitality and gives a little extra purpose to my widowhood.

My Bible (all of them actually) is the first thing i would grab if i had to run away real fast. I love the comfort of God’s nearness in the pages of The Word. I need his arms around me and his abiding love; and i find that in his Word and in prayer. So, I could NOT live without prayer and the Word. This is who I am and the core reason for my life…to know Him and to be conformable unto his suffering that I will live and reign with him FOREVER. I take up his yoke, i learn of him, therefore, i live. Nothing is more important than making Heaven, and that promise keeps me alive!

Coffee is pretty much a staple…i could remain alive and breathing without my daily cup, but not sure that would be called ‘living.’ 🙂

I also must have water. Water from the sky especially. I love the rain! I miss the sea and must go to the ocean soon. I love hot and cold showers, and i am so grateful for the swim spa in my back yard. Water is vital to this life for me. Also vital to my life is the Green of the beautiful growth God allows in my world. The growing grass, towering pines and flowering bushes bring joy to me at such a deep level, i have adopted Green as my favorite color.

Sunshine and mountains are also something my life requires. The Olympics, a mountain range on the large peninsula that boarders Puget Sound, have such drama and magnificence that my breath puffs away when the clouds lift, and they appear once more. I am sure one can find beauty in all God’s creation. For me, however, the sky and the sea, the Green and the wet surround my life and secure it like an anchor does a ship trapped in a windy harbor. No matter the storm, my anchor holds in the God who made it all. I couldn’t live at all without Jesus, and I can’t even walk unless he holds my hand..