Bird Watching - Watching Bird

 

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 121: Today, I am grateful for bird watching and being watched by the birds.

This little bird is watching us. Isn't he cute? 

I remember buying Mom Smith the magazine "Birds and Blooms" for a gift each year, but I didn't understand it. She loved it, and it was a fun and easy gift. I, also, remember the day I "got it." I am not sure if I felt "grown-up" or "old."  I am going to go with "grown-up."

Bird watching is one of the ways man seems to instinctively respond to nature. Birds are funny. We are way more curious about them than they are about us. There are some exceptions, but most birds are content to go about their business. 

Birds are mentioned many times in the Bible. One of my favorite passages is when Jesus calls attention to the birds and their lack of worry. 

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?  -Matthew 6:25-26

They take one day at a time and one meal at a time. They weather the storms and rebuild when necessary. 

Take a deep breath. Watch the birds. And, perhaps you will find a bird watching you. 

Today, I am grateful for bird watching and being watched by the birds.

Almost There

 

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 120: Today, I am grateful  for the reminder that we are almost there.

This post was nearly finished... and then it was gone. I always pray for God's intervention if something is "not right" or "not at the right time." It happened twice. Today is that day. This will be short and simple. 

This image spoke to my heart.

"I threw in the towel. Go threw it back at me and said, "Wipe your face. You're almost there."

The quote has a grammatical error, but the message is rich with encouragement. It is a great reminder that there can be perfect messages with imperfect deliveries. Heaven knows if I get anything right when I write, it is only by His grace and familiarity with His Word. Sometimes, the best edit is a "delete" button.

"The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living." -Romans 13:12

These days are full of struggles. We were told it would be this way. "The night is almost gone." Get ready. 

Today, I am grateful  for the reminder that we are almost there.

Daily Decisions... In The Details

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 119: Today, I am grateful  for the reminder of the value in our daily decisions. 

C.S. Lewis wrote: "Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance." 

Yikes! I am not a math person, but I understand that compound interest can take something small and grow it into something big. 

How we approach our daily decisions matters. Make the most of the moment. Embrace the good you can do and the Good News you can share today, because that little nugget of love and truth can echo into eternity. 

Seek His face. Learn His ways. Savor the sweetness of knowing His hand is in the details. 

"If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom."  -James 3:13 NLT

Today, I am grateful  for the reminder of the value in our daily decisions. 

The Weird and the Random

 Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 118: Today, I am grateful  for those who love the weird and random in us. 

"Be weird. Be random. Because you never know who would love the person you hide." -C.S. Lewis

It is true. The best people to be with are the ones that embrace your quirk. They don't try to correct you or fix you... they simply love you. 

Genuine affection is like that. That kind of affection is not always instant, but when it comes... it is often lasting. 

Perhaps "true love" is not a misnomer, only  misunderstood. True love isn't a "fairytale" ending. "True love" is finding the one who sees, loves, and embraces the true you. 

"Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other." -Romans 12:10

Today, I am grateful  for those who love the weird and random in us. 

Celebrating Our Differences

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 107: Today, I am grateful  we can celebrate our differences. 

Animals are great. In the wild, these two would have a different relationship. When humans are near, it seems to be in our nature to widen the scope of family. Our fur-babies are family.

This image cracks me up. It is such a raccoon thing to do... and the dog's response is so "dog-like." Raccoons love to pet faces. Dogs let us do as we please, for a belly rub and occasional treat. 

Cats rule the roost and believe we live to serve them. There is evidence to support their belief.  

I love seeing cats, dogs,  humans and other animals living together in harmony. 

When I was a teen, we "bird-sat" for many years while our friend, Nancy Hirstein, was in college. Her cockatiel, Ike, fell in love with our Shit-Zu dog, Misti Sue. When Nancy finished college, she took Ike home with her. The problem was, both Misti Sue and Ike were depressed when they were separated. Ike drove Nancy crazy and Misti Sue stopped eating.  Nancy ended up returning Ike. The dog and the cockatiel were best friends and family. Once they were reunited, life was good.

I think we kept Ike until Misty Sue died. 

Common ground helps relationships grow deep and strong roots. Differences make life more interesting. 

“When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison." -Matthew 5:25

I love there is great advice in that passage. It is better to settle your differences without the courts. 

Today, I am grateful  we can celebrate our differences.

Painted Rocks

 

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 106: Today, I am grateful for painted rocks. 

Painting rocks and hiding them was a thing for a while. They are fun to find. 

Growing up, we spent time looking for rocks, hoping for arrowheads, and fossils. We always found cool rocks. Never a woolly mammoth or T-Rex, but a kid can dream.

Sitting down to create something from nothing, it is always good for my soul. Even if it is not an artistic masterpiece.

I need to try some rock painting. This little cottage in the picture is so cute. 

I cannot help but think of "The Painted Desert" when I think of painted rocks. Or what about  the amazing colorful stones found within the rock? This passage mentions lapis and gold:

"Here the rocks contain precious lapis lazuli, and the dust contains gold." -Job 28:6

Today, I am grateful for painted rocks. 

 

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 105: Today, I am grateful for a sense of humor.

Does God have a sense of humor? Well, we are told that God created man in his own image. Babies laugh. They do not need to be taught. It is a reflex to something they find funny.

"So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." -Genesis 1:27

This quote made me giggle: "When God created ducks, He said, "Waterproof that chicken and give it a kazoo." That's funny!

Shelley - I know you are going to hear the "kazoo" in the next duck you hear. (Love you!)

Today, I am grateful for a sense of humor.

Beauty from Ashes

 

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 104: Today, I am grateful for the beauty from ashes.

"Satan loves to take what's beautiful and ruin it. God loves to take what is ruined and make it beautiful."

The battle for our souls is real. The enemy of our soul wants us to feel ugly, broken, and unloved. He wants us to feel ruined.

Like the Japanese art of kintsugi, repairing broken pottery with gold, silver, or platinum... it becomes more beautiful in its broken, mended places at the touch of the Master's hand.

As a little girl, I fell in love with "The Velveteen Rabbit" by Margery Williams. I think it is where I first discovered that children's literature could speak great truth.

“Real isn't how you are made,' said the Skin Horse. 'It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.'

'Does it hurt?' asked the Rabbit.

'Sometimes,' said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. 'When you are Real you don't mind being hurt.'

'Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,' he asked, 'or bit by bit?'

'It doesn't happen all at once,' said the Skin Horse. 'You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.”
― Margery Williams Bianco, The Velveteen Rabbit

You can never be ugly again. That is how we are loved. He wants to trade beauty for ashes. 

"To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory." - Isaiah 61:3

Be brave. Be real. Be willing to "make the trade."

Today, I am grateful for the beauty from ashes.

Matthew

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 103: Today, I am grateful for Matthew.

A picture of the two of us is rare, so I had to share it. Happy Birthday, little brother! I am so grateful he came along.

I am grateful for all of the seasons we have shared. Each one has its sweetness and its sorrows. We have known the simple joys of being raised in the dirt with plenty of trees to climb, and creeks to explore.

We grew up with the intoxicating fragrance of grain falling from the auger into a wagon and the scent of rain as it hits the thirsty soil in the summer heat. We can spot the clouds that look like trouble when the conditions are right for a tornado, especially in the spring. We've spent winter nights listening to the cold winds shake the house. We grew up with "old wives tales" and "farmer sayings" and have found them to often ring with truth. We would not change a thing.

He was in 6th grade when I graduated from High School and went off to college. I blinked and he was a man... and a good one. How swiftly the years pass by! I am grateful for every one... even the hard ones, because we learned together what matters most.

I love you little brother. Wishing you many more trips around the sun.

"Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love." -1 Corinthians 13:13

Today, I am grateful for Matthew.

Mama Ina Mae's Wisdom

 

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 102: Today, I am grateful for Mama's wisdom.

Happy Heavenly Birthday to Mama! I miss you.  

April, Matthew, and I had the most patient, wise and loving soul on the planet as our Mama. She was gentle, but it only too a look when Dad stepped out of line. Those who knew them know exactly what I mean. "Kenneth!" meant he was really in trouble. 

She used to say, "Learn something new every day." She was a slow reader but what she read she retained. She knew her Bible. She loved owning her own "Strong's Concordance" so she could better study The Word. She studied healing plants from the earth, before it was "cool." I wish I had written down more. 

I sure miss her light and her life. I am so grateful she is dancing, singing, and playing music in Heaven. 

The sermon today talked about the Holy Spirit and she was full of it. She was always a good girl, but when she said her best "yes" it was to Jesus... her life became a living sacrifice.  

She loved my Dad with every beat of her heart... even when he was in the dog house. She loved us... including and maybe especially... Randy and Jennifer without reservation. There were no "in-laws".. only "in-love." 

We did not have to earn Mama's love. It was as steady and warm as the sun. She loved the title of "Grandma" best, and loved practicing on her great nieces and nephews.  Brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews.. each one was special in her sight. 

She was a "love not judge" kind of girl. She chose wisely and with intention. 

"So give your father and mother joy! May she who gave you birth be happy." -Proverbs 23:25

Today, I am grateful for Mama's wisdom and her example of love. 

Wild Vines

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 101: Today, I am grateful for wild vines. 

Wisteria is a bit of a mystery to me. Is it a tree, a bush, or a wild vine? For us, it has always been a surprise from bird droppings. I love it. 

It is strong, wild, and beautiful. If controlled, it can be spectacular shade. We are watching the rehab of an old building in Italy where they are trying to save the wisteria. I understand their desire. It is gorgeous. 

I wonder if that is how God sees us at times? Strong, wild, and beautiful. I hope so. That might explain his patience and abiding love, even when we do the things we know we should not do. 

He allows consequences... some of them are hard... but I wonder if he relishes in us "submitting our lives to him as a living sacrifice" not only because His ways are always better for us... but because he designed the very part of us that wants to be wild and free in our own strength. Submission of our will and handing Him our hearts is evidence that we are choosing him back. 

He knows our minds and our hearts. 

"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." -Romans 12:1-2 

Be like wisteria... strong, wild and free, but submit to the Master Gardener's Hand. 

Today, I am grateful for wild vines. 

Soughing

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 100: Today, I am grateful for soughing. 

It is pronounced “sowing." Soughing is defined in the Cambridge Dictionary as “the high or low long sound that something such as the wind or ocean makes as it moves.” 

We hear it often on the prairie... in the Spring and in the Fall. The whooshing tests the branches after the Winter's sleep. Some break and blow away. Others break forth with new life. I delight in the color of new leaves. 

The soughing of the wind through the trees is common this time of year. It is one of those times we are faced with a choice. Do we find it exhausting? Or, do we choose to listen to it like a melody. If I am not forced to fight the car door, I will choose the melody? 

"The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” -John 3:8

Who can explain the wind? Who can explain what it means to be born of the Spirit? You have to experience them. You have to be in the right place at the right time to hear the soughing. 

To be Born of the Spirit, you need only invite Him in.

Today, I am grateful for soughing and the Spirit.

The Flowers Off the Paved Road.

 

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 109: Today, I am grateful for the flowers off the paved road. 

"Normality is a paved road. It's comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow." -Vincent van Gogh

What a fun quote. The paved roads are usually the easier path, but it is not always the best. Normal is overrated, right?  

The way that is comfortable is not always the best way. I like the flowers. 

"And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?" -Luke 12:28

Enjoy the beauty of this day. 

Look for the flowers. You might have to leave the easy path to find the beauty. 

Today, I am grateful for the flowers off the paved road. 

Gravity

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 108: Today, I am grateful for gravity.

We joke about gravity working against us as we get older, but gravity has a purpose. We would be uncomfortable without it. Floating around would be fun for a while, but we are comfortable with the laws of gravity. 

This sculpture appears gravity defying. I thought it was kind of fun for today's post. 

Whether you believe in gravity or not, it is real. Gravity has laws that we have named, investigated, and used to our advantage. The message is the message.

This is my verse of the day"

"The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God." -1 Corinthians 1:18

Like the gravity, the Cross is real. 

Today, I am grateful for gravity.. and even more grateful for the Cross. 

Reminders to Love

 Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 107: Today, I am grateful for reminders to love.

"No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind." -unknown

"I set alarms and timers to help me not forget things. I'd like to blame age, but I am easily distracted by life and busyness. 

Reminders to choose love and kindness are always timely. Especially when we are tired and weary. 

Nicole Nordeman's song, "Legacy" is written on my heart. It will be a forever favorite. I love her voice.

Did I choose to love? I owe Jesus so much. His instructions were simple but not easy.

Love God with a wild abandon. Love others with that same crazy kind of love. 

"Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law." -Romans 13:8

Today, I am grateful for reminders to love.

The Gift of being "Made Right."

 

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 106: Today, I am grateful for the gift of being "made right." 

Being imperfect is inconvenient and exhausting... and it is human reality.  His grace is a gift. 

Yes, it is a gift. 

I cannot get it right on my own. There are good days, but being human means we mess up, sometimes before getting out of bed... at least for me. 

I love the reminder of the hope we have because of Jesus. A future is promised to those who choose, declare, and believe. 

"If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved." -Romans 10:9-10

 Mot by might,. Not by power. Buy, by my Spirit says, the Lord. 

 Today, I am grateful for the gift of being "made right." 

New Life

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 105: Today, I am grateful for new life.

There is a robin's nest out our back door. The lilac bush is blooming. The flowering crab is full of butterflies. What a perfect day. My favorite temperature, 75 degrees, will happen twice. Does it get any better? 

It does! The morning message reminded us of the new life available through Christ, when we give him our all.... not just parts of our heart. All. Everything. Sold out. 

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." -Galatians 2:20

How many spring wonders did you witness over the weekend? 

"Thank you, Jesus, for your work on the cross that gives us the chance at new life and restoration. Amen."

Today, I am grateful for new life.

The Courage to Balter

 

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 104: Today, I am grateful to celebrate those with the courage to balter.

Dancing is a part of being human. I do not know of any culture that has no dance. If there is one, I am sad for them. Dance helps us express joy and even sorrow. 

Balter is a new word that is really an old one. Old English to be exact. It means to dance artlessly, without particular grace or enjoyment. 

Joy makes all the difference. David had a moment.

 He basically danced before God in only his underwear:

Meanwhile, David was dancing before Adonai with all his might while he was wearing a linen ephod. 

- 2 Samuel 6:14

Just dance. It restores the soul. 

 Today, I am grateful to celebrate those with the courage to balter.

Sea Turtles

 

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 103: Today, I am grateful for sea turtles. 

On our recent trip with Matt and Jennifer, we had the chance to snorkel with the sea turtles, tropical fish, and huge starfish. The sea can be moody... and it can be magical. 

Christmas Cove is on Greater St. James Island in the US Virgin Islands. Apparently, it is a place you will nearly always find sea turtles. A little shipwreck provides a sanctuary for some of the tropical fish that nearly glow, but the sea turtles steal the show. 

They move with a gentle grace. They are curious. Watching them is relaxing. 

Sometimes, I am amazed at the variety of creatures God designed. Sea turtles are delightful.

"You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you." -Nehemiah 9:6

Today, I am grateful for sea turtles. 

Good News

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 102: Today, I am grateful for good news.

Chase and Emma were engaged under a meteor shower. Kenzie and Steven during the eclipse on Monday. Kenzie says it must be a family thing. 

We are happy to welcome Steven into our family. Honestly, he has been family for a long time. We were so blessed to have them at Bradley, so close to us.  Their next stop was Champaign. Now.. Madison, WI. Good news is always welcome. 

"Therefore My people will know My Name. Therefore in that day,   I am the One who will be saying, ‘Hineni!’" How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces shalom, who brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation,"  -Isaiah 52:6-7

Today, I am grateful for good news.

Help

 

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 101: Today, I am grateful for help. 

This image was so cute. I am a sucker for racoons. Their curiosity has them often in trouble. We were so blessed to get to rescue a few and raise them until they fend for themselves. Their purr is the sweetest. They snuggle and pet your face. 

I have the sweetest memories of caring for them and watching them grow. 

We had to care for them, but we were always told that the wild in them runs deep. Letting them go during adolescence is good for them and good for us, but you do miss their playful antics. This little pup seems to be enjoying his masked friend. 

"We get by with a little help from our friends."

I love that song. It is so true. We are beyond grateful when we have people stand with us in the gaps of our strength, our experience, our abilities, and our understanding. I am reminded we are better together. 

"When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. - Romans 5:6-8

While we were still sinners! That is great love. The greatest Love of all. When He touches our lives, we are never the same. 

Today, I am grateful for help. 

Bug Snacks

  

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 100: Today, I am grateful for bugs you can eat. 

I think these little fruit and veggie bugs are adorable. These are bugs I would consent to eat. They would be adorable on a snack board for a kid's party. 

It reminds me of a phone call from my Jill. We were as close as sisters and with our closest family two hours away, I have no words for the gift her friendship was for 28 years. We raised our boys together through the good, the bad, and the ugly life brings. 

Her Blake was a picky eater. He still is. If she found something he liked, we all celebrated and made sure we had it in the house. Especially if it was easy to serve for lunch or snack. When she called asking how I managed to get Blake to eat a Peanut Butter Sandwich I laughed and asked, "Doesn't he eat them for you?" The answer was a hard "No!" So, I went through my steps. 

White bread... of course. Jiff peanut butter? Is there any other? I can't remember if he ate jelly, but I do remember the final step. I asked her if she "cut the sandwich like an X creating four little triangles that you could make into two butterflies."  No. She had not done that. Apparently, you had to make it into something fun... like a bug... to make them taste good. 

Such a sweet memory from days gone by. 

Remember John the Baptist? He was a cousin to Jesus and the one who would "prepare the way" of the Lord. His diet was interesting and so were his clothes. Jesus was broken when John was beheaded at the whim of a princess. It was one of those times Jesus went to the wilderness to "Be Still" with the Father. He would miss his cousin. 

"John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey." - Matthew 3:4

I don't really want to eat bugs, but these are cute and probably delicious. 

Today, I am grateful for bugs you can eat. 

The Eclipse

 Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 99: Today, I am grateful for the experience of the eclipse. 

I don't know who was more excited. The kids or the adults. I think it might have been the big kids. I can barely take in the wonder of it all. 

What amazed me most is that in our little village, the eclipse was 96 percent full. That means the sun was giving only 4 percent of its light. I am in awe of the power of light. 

Light always wins over darkness. Always. 

Let us not fret about things unknown, because HE knows all things. Let there be light - and there was light. He separates the day from the night. He calls the stars by name. 

"Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing." -Isaiah 40:26

Today, I am grateful for the experience of the eclipse. 

Farming, Family, and Faith

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 98: Today, I am grateful for the sweet gift of a book about farming, family, and faith. 

I found this book on my doorknob today. It was a gift from a dear friend who has been an encouragement on this gratitude journey from the very beginning. (Love you, Diana)

"Lessons from the Heartland" is exactly what this book was about. I am more than half way through the book and it is not a "political book", although her reluctant entry on to the political landscape is a part of her story. It is her life story up to this point. 

I was stunned when I started reading it. There were so many parallels between her life and the way Matt, April, and I were raised. I think it was the first chapter where she shared about going through her Dad's truck after he died. Like my Dad, it was his office on wheels and it was where you could learn a lot about the man.

Her family was like our family. Our Dad's could be tough. They were determined to mold us into Jesus loving, law abiding, caretakers of the land. They were, also, wise, frugal, and kind. They intentionally seeded grit in their children.  The Mom's were hard working and empathetic. We benefited from both. So did Kristi and her siblings. 

Her dad expected them to work. Mine did, too. I "walked beans" days before my wedding. Dad was not as concerned with my hands staying soft and manicured as I was, but it did result in a bit of a tan. I respected my father... and I walked the beans. If we were home and work needed to be done, we did it. Farm life is all about teamwork. 

Krisiti and her Dad would butt heads. She even left the farm for a while when working together was too much for both of them. She still talked to her Dad every day. The love never waivered between them. As she recalled their last conversation, I remembered mine with my Dad.  

Our Dad's were determined to teach their children to be critical thinkers, unafraid to stand alone. I laughed at many of the stories, because they were our stories, too. They even raised baby racoons. 

The tales she tells about farm life resonate with any of us  who grew up in  a small town or on the farm. Friday night football game are where the social life happens. People show up when you are in trouble and they are there for your celebrations, too. It is not always an easy life, but it is a good one. 

Today, I am grateful for the sweet gift of a book about farming, family, and faith. 

Coqui Frogs

 

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 97: Today, I am grateful for coqui frogs.

I think little frogs are so cute. There are so many different kinds of frogs. They are diverse in color and size. They live in different habitats. They have a unique sound that they make. I am enamored with the Coqui frog.

St. Thomas has Coqui Frogs. The tiny tree frog that does not have webbed feet, but little pads on their feet that help them stick to trees and other surfaces. They are one of my favorite sounds on the island along with the sounds of the Caribbean Sea. 

They sound more like  a cricket or a bird than a frog. Only the male sings, He sings during mating season. Native to Puerto Rico, they have made their way to Hawaii, Florida, and the Virgin Island.

They are considered invasive but I love the lullaby they sing. Much like crickets or cicadas, their chirp is loud. Some find it annoying. I think it is a part of nature's choir. 

"Let Heaven and Nature Sing!"

Today, I am grateful for coqui frogs.

Life In A Seed of Hope

 

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 96: Today, I am grateful for life in a Seed of Hope.

Life is profoundly unpredictable. We never know when there will be a big "plot twist"... it is what I have come to call the "curve balls" that come our way. 

"There is so much life in a seed of hope." 

I find seed's amazing. They seem hard, dead, and lifeless. Yet, add the right amount of water, light, and good soil and you will discover that it comes to life. It will always be a miracle to me. 

"I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow." -1 Corinthians 3:6

There are some days our souls really need to witness the miracles. Other days, we find our hearts light and merry. What is seeded in our souls today? Is it hope? Hope is a beautiful things. It is precious and priceless. 

Today, I am grateful for life in a Seed of Hope. 

Heavenly Homecomings

 

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 95: Today, I am grateful for Heavenly Homecomings. 

April 5th marks the anniversary of  Dad's Heavenly Homecoming eleven years ago. How can it be that long... and yet it feels like yesterday. I still remember the last phone conversation just a day or two before he died. 

His last day on earth he spent with his two favorites - Matthew and Mama. 

Dad and Matthew moved tractors and implements to get ready for the first day it would be "fit" to plant. They drove around to the different farms and made a plan. They knew which field to plant if it was wet and which one to plant first if we were short on rain. They both delighted in looking it all over with fresh eyes as they did every Spring. 

He went home for lunch with Mama and took his daily power nap after lunch, except on that day, he woke up face to face with his Lord. How incredible it must have been for him! As the song says, "I Can Only Imagine." 

Bless the Lord, Oh My Soul (10,000 Reasons) was one of his favorites. He called it "a farmer's song." We sang it at his funeral. It was a newer song back in 2013. It is still the song that seems to show up on my best days and on my hardest days. 

And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still, my soul will sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forevermore
Forevermore - Matt Redman, 10,000 Reasons

Oh what a day of rejoicing it must have been when Mama joined him, too. 

Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. -Psalm 103:1-2

Today, I am grateful for Heavenly Homecomings. 

God is our Source

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 94: Today, I am grateful God is our source. 

"Human history has a long, terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy." -C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

C.S. Lewis always makes me think. The quote reminds us that only God is our true source of happiness. 

You see it all the time. Celebrity lives that are a mess. When the truth comes to surface, it is often associated with tragedy. No God, no peace; know God, know Peace. 

Money cannot satisfy. Craving power is even worse. The hunger for power is insatiable it seems. Discontentment runs deep in the souls of those who reject a relationship with God. It is a true tragedy. 

"I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." - Romans 15:13

 Today, I am grateful God is our source. 

Tulips

Daily Gratitude Year 12 - Day 93: Today, I am grateful for tulips.

I love spring blooms. They pour hope into the early days of spring. They are brave and resilient. The tulip is one of those flowers. 

I was admiring the daffodils on the way to work today and thought... the tulips will be next. The crocus has come and gone. The daffodils are in bloom. The tulips are waiting their turn. 

The picture is actually stuffed red and yellow peppers filled with something yummy. 

As I pondered a scripture for today, humor took over. Tulips never complain. They simply bloom their little hearts out, even if the weather turns erratic. The two lips on our face are a different story. 

"Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them." -Ephesians 4:29

Mark Twain always said, "It is better to remain silent and thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." Yes, our two lips can be troublesome. 

They can be encouraging, too. What would a kiss be without two lips? The struggle is to use them wisely. 

Today, I am grateful for tulips... and two lips.