Aching muscles and stiff joints were my alarm clock and a tinge of leftover stomach malady was my snooze button.

I had only been awake twenty seconds, and I sat there– just sat there, eyelids heavy with a weariness that usually comes after a long day of work. There’s a lot of things I’m good at. Mornings just isn’t one of them.

I propped myself up on the pillows and rubbed my angry stomach in soothing circles, the way I’d been taught to do when it was acting up. Like your best friend’s shoulder, the stomach is a sympathetic organ, and reacts strongly to any stress you might be under. I also have quite a few food allergies, so it’s already never at 100%. The added stress means I have a lot of ‘angry stomach’ days.

Through the bedroom window, I could see a small pond in the distance. As I sat there trying to muster up the strength to get out of bed, I looked at the pond. “I wish I could see something interesting in that pond.” I thought to myself, idly rubbing.

Henry, sensing I was awake, jumped onto the bed and crawled into my lap. I looked down at him, my natural lap heater, and smiled. When I looked back up, five Geese were in the pond.

They hadn’t been there ten seconds ago, and yet, when I saw them, they looked as if they had always been there, swimming, dunking, and generally floating around. Shortly, two more Geese joined them.

It was freezing outside, and a few light flurries were floating in the air like God had grabbed a salt shaker, and gently turned it upside down to season the grass.

The Geese seemed oblivious. They just swam in the same kind of circles that I was rubbing my stomach with. I stopped rubbing and just watched them, trying to emulate their calm.

To segue briefly (we’ll come back to the Geese in just a moment) There is a book called, “The Five Love Languages.” If you haven’t looked it up, I recommend it. It helps you figure out the way that you show others you love them, and how others show you they love you.

My ‘love language’ is “Words of Affirmation” and then “Receiving/Giving Gifts.” So, if I care about you in some way, I’ve probably told you in writing or given you a token of my affection. And it can be a token, expense does not equate ‘more love’.

The other three are “Acts of Service,” “Physical Touch,” and “Quality Time.”  (http://www.5lovelanguages.com/profile/)

I think that God speaks to us in our own Love Language. As I watched those peaceful Geese swimming in a circle, I thanked God for the gift that He had given me moments after I had requested it. Watching them eased my mind, and my stomach. I felt immeasurably better.

I think, if we open our heart to it, He works in that manner more often than we think. A glorious sunset, whispered words of love when our hearts are breaking, a breeze to cool us…God meets us on our level, in our Love Language, every day.

The gift of peaceful geese. What a lovely way to begin a day of love.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Right at 35 days before my 35th birthday, Rachael and I found out that a book we wrote about our experience making our first film “No Lost Cause,” was being returned to us by the publisher after a year of waiting for it to be printed. Instead of wallowing in our collective misery, I committed to blogging every day while I searched for ways to overcome this perceived rejection and obstacle to our goal. I currently also have about three other projects brewing at the same time, and write about the progress of each of them. This is part of that series.

Read the first entry here: https://ashleyraymerbrown.com/2015/01/23/35-days-to-35-dealing-with-rejection/