My writing space is rather small
a desk, a chair, but that’s not all;
A glass door offers nature’s view
of birds and squirrels and flowers too.
As I write I often see the bounty
of God’s harmony.
It makes me thankful for this place
that has become my writing space.
Abundance is all around me. It’s in the air I breathe, the water I drink, the soft grass I walk on, the wind blown seeds awaiting new birth, friends, family, splendid nature shows; all for free.
There was a time when I lived a limited life because I only thought of limitations. I was never consciously grateful for the abundance all around me. It was what I perceived as lack that held me in the grip of poverty: not actual poverty but imagined poverty.
And then I read this in John 10:10…”I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (Jesus) KJV
It made me change my way of thinking and living.
Now that I know how to think abundantly, abundance is mine. My needs are always met, and I’m no longer hesitant to give.
Abundance…it is a good word and deserves to be spoken abundantly.
How many of us make a list every day? We list our groceries, things to do, appointments to keep, phone calls to make, etc., etc.
Today I’m making a different list…a list of things that make me smile instantaneously…and here it is:
Birds in the birdbath and at the feeder
Squirrels chasing each other up and down trees and along high wires
A toddler toddling
A baby’s laugh
An elderly couple holding hands
An unexpected hug
Children at play
A good news phone call
The instant flash of a red cardinal
A robin’s plump red breast
That’s only ten but I could go on and on. The best part of making this kind of list is that it makes me smile all over again just thinking about these things.
What gives you a sudden smile? Do you have such a list?
Sometimes we just cannot help sharing something that touches us in a profound way. That’s how I feel about this hymn. The words are truly so promising and deserve to be pondered as well as sung.
In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree;
In cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
There’s a song in every silence, seeking word and melody;
There’s a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the future; what it holds, a mystery,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity;
In our doubt there is believing; in our life, eternity,
In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
What a beautiful promise!
Cardinals make me happy. Lately I have seen this beautiful bird both in my yard and on Facebook many times. May your Sunday be blessed with what makes you happy.
Every day there is something to smile about…well, mostly every day; family, friends, babies, memories, a full moon the night before, a squirrel looking for a handout at the door, playful puppies, skittish kittens, blessings by the number…smiling is good for the facial muscles.
Yesterday this picture was posted to my Facebook Timeline by one of my daughters. It really gave me something to smile about and I hope it stretches your facial muscles too.
Have you ever watched a pair of squirrels chasing each other up and down trees, across telephone cables, or simply in circles on a lush lawn? Such energy! I’d love to clock their speed.
Our days may not be filled with that kind of energetic behaviour, but just watching those fluffy-tail rodents is enough to make me get up and get moving.
And then there’s the lowly caterpillar inching its way along a blade of grass, expending the least amount of energy. (Or maybe not.)
Nature’s energy is all around us: growing grass and flowers, a gentle breeze, a gusty wind, rustling leaves, thunder, lightning, and bird song.
It’s good to remember that when we feel depleted, we can plug into nature’s energy. Run, squirrel, run!
My soul has always held a deep fascination for me because I can never quite grasp the full concept of it. Therefore, I’m taking a six week course called Soul Keeping. It is based on a book by John Ortberg, pastor, writer, and speaker in Menlo Park, California.
Last night his video touched on a passage from Dallas Willard’s book, Renovation of the Heart:
“Our soul is like an inner stream of water, which gives strength, direction and harmony to every other element of our life. When that stream is as it should be, we are constantly refreshed and exuberant in all we do because our soul itself is then profusely rooted in the vastness of God and his kingdom, including nature; and all else within us is enlivened and directed by that stream. Therefore we are in harmony with God, reality, and the rest of human nature and nature at large.”
I also learned that the four parts of a human being are soul, body, mind, will. The soul encompasses the other three parts and the course goes into each of these aspects of our being. I was aware of these four parts but unsure of their order.
This course promises to be a very good learning experience and may give me the answers to my soul searching.
Too often we walk through life unaware of what takes place around us. Following is a brief excerpt from my poetry collection. It actually took place in my garden one warm summer day, just the way it is written.
ON BEING AWARE
One summer day
I asked the Lord
to make me more aware
and in that instant
watched a sparrow
catch an insect
in midair.
When the meadowlark sings in the meadow,
when the woodpecker pecks at its tree,
when the red breasted robin lays her blue eggs,
when the mockingbird mocks with glee.
When the Baltimore oriole leaves Baltimore,
when the Canada geese fly back home,
when the beautiful cardinal dressed all in red
when the warbler warbles its song.
When the finch with its feathers of yellow,
when the jay in its shades of blue,
when the martin of purple splendor,
when the bunting of indigo hue.
When the birds fill the air with their joy sounds,
when their colors and plumage take flight,
God’s creatures share freely their bird life,
when we take the time to delight.
©2015
(This is the result of not wanting to leave yesterday’s poem in its unfinished state.)
My Precious Life 