Pink feathers flutter over turquoise wonder
your paintbrush never stops.
My soul fills, silently singing as
I ponder
And my heart does.
Waynesville sunrise, December 2013
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Turquoise Poem
Pink feathers flutter over turquoise wonder
your paintbrush never stops.
My soul fills, silently singing as
I ponder
And my heart does.
Waynesville sunrise, December 2013
Spending Time Well
The world came to a standstill today as 7 inches of snow smothered Waynesville and the Ft. Leonard Wood and St. Robert areas. Which meant no church for us and no school tomorrow for the lucky kids who were supposed to have gone back from winter break. The chickens are nestled securely in their coop and the only thing that had to be done today was give them vegetable treats and fresh water.
It looked worse outside than it felt. At fourteen degrees, which was the high today, it reminded me more of Colorado cold because it was so dry. We lived there for two years while my husband deployed to Iraq for the second time. I am grateful that he is home today and all of us are huddled inside where it is nice and warm and there is a fire going. I have not gotten around to taking down our Christmas decorations so it is like an extended Christmas holiday.
This has left time for contemplation. I have been reading a book by Debbie Macomber called "One Perfect Word". It is about choosing to focus on one word given to you by God which is supposed to be explored in depth throughout the entire year. After much prayer I have settled on the word "time". It is important for me to make time getting to know God through his word; a simple concept which will require commitment. If I am willing to look after my chickens in sub-freezing weather should I not give God at least as much effort?
Last year I asked him to reveal to me why some people say they love Jesus with all of their heart. I want a burning fire in my soul for him too. All I came away with is lukewarm enthusiasm. Since that is something God says he hates, I have to take an active role in fixing my lack of passion. The only way to do that is to spend plenty of time with him. You would not expect to have a super relationship with anyone if you never talked, right? I really anticipate much more answered prayer and a greater sense of love and faith as a result of God talking to me and me listening to him.
There are so many prayer requests that have hit the ceiling in the past year that I cannot afford to ignore God's very specific command to spend time with him. This is not a New Year's resolution. It is deeper than that and more like a longing to know God and Jesus more. I will go with it and see what happens.
It looked worse outside than it felt. At fourteen degrees, which was the high today, it reminded me more of Colorado cold because it was so dry. We lived there for two years while my husband deployed to Iraq for the second time. I am grateful that he is home today and all of us are huddled inside where it is nice and warm and there is a fire going. I have not gotten around to taking down our Christmas decorations so it is like an extended Christmas holiday.
This has left time for contemplation. I have been reading a book by Debbie Macomber called "One Perfect Word". It is about choosing to focus on one word given to you by God which is supposed to be explored in depth throughout the entire year. After much prayer I have settled on the word "time". It is important for me to make time getting to know God through his word; a simple concept which will require commitment. If I am willing to look after my chickens in sub-freezing weather should I not give God at least as much effort?
Last year I asked him to reveal to me why some people say they love Jesus with all of their heart. I want a burning fire in my soul for him too. All I came away with is lukewarm enthusiasm. Since that is something God says he hates, I have to take an active role in fixing my lack of passion. The only way to do that is to spend plenty of time with him. You would not expect to have a super relationship with anyone if you never talked, right? I really anticipate much more answered prayer and a greater sense of love and faith as a result of God talking to me and me listening to him.
Saturday, January 4, 2014
A Chicken With It's Head Still On
The arrival of snow is wonderful. Impending doom is more like it. That is how this corner of the world is responding to the vast winter storm that is will arrive tonight. The parking lot of the St. Robert Wall-mart was as busy as a Los Angeles freeway during rush hour. It seemed as if everybody was panic shopping in preparation for the forecast six to ten inches of snow. I was making my own panic run to the pharmacy because I did not want to be without my fibromyalgia meds just in case I got snowed in for a week or two.
Our driveway gets impassible with the smallest amount of ice, so getting out once the weather hits is not conceivable. We are only one mile from city-plowed blacktop but we might as well be living off the grid when glacial weather freezes our little farm to a standstill.
After a two hour wait at the pharmacy (everybody else was panicking too) I had a monster headache and wanted to quickly eat and get home. John and I stopped by Wendy's and ran into Victoria Carriger. I miss her. She was a good friend years back when we lived here the first time before the military moved us to Colorado and then Korea. She has had a tough ride in life and is finally being blessed after nearly a decade of effort invested in building a career in music. That girl sure can sing and God is providing a way for her to take care of her family using her voice. He is using her pain and trials to remind me that he is looking after my dreams too. In due time God will lift me from obscurity. My art, writing and photography will be used to impact the world, just like he is using Victoria's voice to do so now. I need to tell her thanks for being an inspiration.
Going to Wendy's was a God appointment. Do you get those too? Chance meetings that you know were not planned by your own hands, but were vital nonetheless? Panic driven thinking is stressful. My headache could have been avoided with better planning in regards to my medications. However, if we had not been running around today, if I had not gotten a huge headache, and if I did not try to fight off that headache with a much needed meal; I would not have run into my old friend.
The day made sense when I was putting my chickens to bed. As I sat on a bale of straw cuddling one of them, I thought that there was tranquility in the chicken shed. As a matter of fact, there is always peace to be had while sitting and cuddling a chicken. The caveat is that I have to slow down long enough to experience the same assurance that a chicken has. There is no panicking over unfilled prescriptions, there is just the moment. It is simple and filled with quiet clucking. Chickens can be extremely philosophical, you just have to ask them the right questions, then shut up and listen.
A good friend, a full tummy, and knowing extremely smart chickens have brought wonder to my heart today. God appoints all of them at just the right time. Sometimes all it takes is to slow down and live life at the pace of a chicken, one with it's head still on.
Our driveway gets impassible with the smallest amount of ice, so getting out once the weather hits is not conceivable. We are only one mile from city-plowed blacktop but we might as well be living off the grid when glacial weather freezes our little farm to a standstill.
After a two hour wait at the pharmacy (everybody else was panicking too) I had a monster headache and wanted to quickly eat and get home. John and I stopped by Wendy's and ran into Victoria Carriger. I miss her. She was a good friend years back when we lived here the first time before the military moved us to Colorado and then Korea. She has had a tough ride in life and is finally being blessed after nearly a decade of effort invested in building a career in music. That girl sure can sing and God is providing a way for her to take care of her family using her voice. He is using her pain and trials to remind me that he is looking after my dreams too. In due time God will lift me from obscurity. My art, writing and photography will be used to impact the world, just like he is using Victoria's voice to do so now. I need to tell her thanks for being an inspiration.
Going to Wendy's was a God appointment. Do you get those too? Chance meetings that you know were not planned by your own hands, but were vital nonetheless? Panic driven thinking is stressful. My headache could have been avoided with better planning in regards to my medications. However, if we had not been running around today, if I had not gotten a huge headache, and if I did not try to fight off that headache with a much needed meal; I would not have run into my old friend.
The day made sense when I was putting my chickens to bed. As I sat on a bale of straw cuddling one of them, I thought that there was tranquility in the chicken shed. As a matter of fact, there is always peace to be had while sitting and cuddling a chicken. The caveat is that I have to slow down long enough to experience the same assurance that a chicken has. There is no panicking over unfilled prescriptions, there is just the moment. It is simple and filled with quiet clucking. Chickens can be extremely philosophical, you just have to ask them the right questions, then shut up and listen.
A good friend, a full tummy, and knowing extremely smart chickens have brought wonder to my heart today. God appoints all of them at just the right time. Sometimes all it takes is to slow down and live life at the pace of a chicken, one with it's head still on.
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