Life is found
in the details
By Jan Penton Miller
Columnist
The cooler air of morning greeted us as we opened the car door at the park at
McNeil. Winnie sported her brand new burgundy colored halter with her pink lead
and looked adorable running from place to place chasing real and imaginary critters.
By the time we left the walking track she was ready for a cool drink.
Now Winnie is napping in the sunshine while I sit down to write a bit. Usually little
miss is vying for space on my lap while I try to balance her and my laptop, but the
nice long walk has her all tuckered out.
We were in for quite the shock when we opened our water bill, and it was out the
roof. My flowers and new grass have been beautiful, but quite expensive! Maybe we
can slow down on it a bit since the temperatures have fallen to be more manageable,
but still hot. I have found that the tag on plants that says full sun doesn’t usually
apply to the brutal heat that August brings to our area, and most gardens get a little
scraggly this time of year.
With that said, how wonderful that a cool front is struggling to make it’s way to the
Deep South. Football fans, garden enthusiasts, and everyone in between will relish
those crisp, cool mornings and evenings when they finally do materialize.
Every now and again I have to take a step back and reprioritize the things I spend
my time on. It took me many years to realize that every good and worthwhile thing
wasn’t necessarily my thing. As a mother and grandmother my family needs to be
one of my top priorities. Sometimes prioritizing family means saying no to other
good things.
From the time I was a very small child when God’s voice was so easy to hear I knew
that I was called to write. For the words to flow onto the page I need a quiet spirit,
and that comes by being still. The world is so very noisy and busy, and even good
things can pull me away from the best thing.
I started to feel that I was getting too busy and needed to slow down and focus on
what God has called me to. I began to pray about that. Not once or twice, but on
three separate occasions within a few days I read a verse, read a devotional, and
heard a preacher on TV that confirmed what God was speaking to my heart.
It amazes me that God cares so much about the details of our lives that He speaks so
many times and in a variety of ways. I guess I sometimes wonder if my little
scribblings make much of a difference, but as one of my devotionals said, Use the

gifts God has given you today. Don’t worry about what other people have. Recognize
that what God has given you with His help goes further than you can imagine.