Year 6-Day 38 :Today, I am grateful for "silver white winters that melt into springs".
This sign caught my eye on Pinterest after Christmas. My mantle always seems so bare when Christmas comes down. (This image is not mine... it is from hymnsandverses.com)
Remember the Danish art of hygge? Somehow, this phrase from the Sound of Music's "My Favorite Things" captures the simplest of wonders. "Silver white winters that melt into spring, these are a few of my favorite things." The wonder of it all, it leaves me breathless.
For me, this song lyric hit me in a new way this winter. Instead of complaining about the slush, mush and mud when it comes... and it will come... I can focus on the magic of the moment.
The days between seasons are truly quite short. Changes come, almost before our eyes. It is the melting snows that water the earth and give the new life a much needed drink. Before the seed bursts from the ground in tender new shoot, it needs sun to warm the ground and a drink of water.
"Silver white winters that melt into springs"... how have I missed the joy in this lyric? It sings of enjoying the ride from one season into the next. One life cycle complete and a new one begins... or is that a misconception? I am learning that winter is more about rest and restoration than hibernation and waiting. How I choose to live it out this cold season is an intentional choice.
Perhaps God granted us these seasons so that we might have a visual example of life cycles. Like nature, for the believer... death is not the end, but a new beginning.
While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. -2 Corinthians 5:4
This winter has been and continues to be a season of loss. It seems the winter season is always sprinkled with funerals. Some of the precious silver-haired teachers and mentors in our lives have taken their last earthly breath and found new life in heaven. It is hard to say goodbye... especially to the ones who lived in "new life" until their last earthly breath. There is grief... but there is gratitude, too.
We can choose to let out gratitude be bigger than our grief. Gratitude reflects the love and appreciation for a life that made a difference in our life. Yes, silver white winters and silver haired mentors... what lessons and wisdom they bring. My heart smiles at the reminder that what seems like the end is most often a new beginning.
Today, I am grateful for "silver white winters that melt into springs".
Year 6-Day 37 :Today, I am grateful for the wonder in falling snow.
Not for the way the world looks when it is snow covered, but the magical wonder of the snowflakes falling from the sky.
Continuing this intentional effort to not complain about winter... when it starts to feel long... we must seek new places to look. Yes, a snow covered landscape is uniquely beautiful, especially before it is marked by human hands and feet. But what about the hours of gently falling snow it takes to create such beauty and wonder.
They say each snowflake is unique, just like we humans are all different. Isn't it amazing what tiny snowflakes can do when they join together?
Mountains of snow for skiing, sledding, snowmen and snow forts are a part of winter's delights when individual snowflakes join together. Snowflakes that fall from the sky, maintaining their individuality, until they reach the ground. Next, they come together, giving up a part of what made them special and unique.
Truthfully, I think some begin to clump together on the way down from the clouds, but some maintain the integrity of their uniqueness... without sacrifice...until connecting with other fallen snowflakes. I think there are some great analogies here for us as humans and as believers.
Our uniqueness is magnificent, isn't it? Truly. Still, we are better together. To make a real impact on our world, we must join together.
"May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus.Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. -Romans 15:5-7
Better together. More impact when we join in harmony as is fitting for followers of Christ. Are we sounding brass and tinkling cymbals just making noise or are we working together giving praise and glory to God?
If you look to the snow covered landscape... especially on a really cold day... you can sometimes see tiny frozen crystals that are part of it all... but with with individuality that can still be identified.
Remember, we serve a God who knows the number of hairs on our head, who cares for the sparrows and who calls out the stars by name and never loses one of them.
What a mighty God we serve! He knows our names. He knows our hearts. We need not fear getting lost in the mission of the great commission. He adores us and longs to be in an intimate, personal relationship with each of us. A relationship we maintain through knowing His Word, seeking His heart, prayer and joining together in community to be more than any of us can be own our own.
The wonder, the lessons, the majesty and the magic of snow falling.
Today, I am grateful for the wonder in falling snow.
Year 6-Day 36 :Today, I am grateful for animals who brave the winter.
Nature... by God's design... causes some animals to migrate to warmer temperatures in the the winter. I am grateful for those who star around and give us inspiration to press on and press through winter's storms.
As I write this morning, we are at about -4 degrees and snow on the horizon. We are more likely to get more than 3-6 inches than we are 1-3... according to my weather app. We shall see. Weather forecasts are often inaccurate.
My goal to not complain about winter this year is a little more challenging on days like today, so I must look for inspiration. I need look no farther than front or back yard.
Winter is necessary for the life of these plains that have been the only home I've known. It rests the land. It freezes off some undesirable things. It renews and restores for the spring to come.
"For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven." -Ecclesiastes 3:1
Such wisdom for the ages. I watched a winter and war battered squirrel the other day find rest and a drink at our pond. I felt sorry for him. Since I don't speak squirrel, I don't know his story, but I know he was thirsty. I think he was grateful for the convenient drink so close to whatever tree he called home.
Animals who brave the winter always humble me. I have the luxuries of a home with a heater, blankets, oven and fireplace. Still, the animals don't fret the weather. They instinctively trust and do what needs to be done. They will savor the luxury of an easy drink of water when it presents itself.
For the word of the Lord holds true, and we can trust everything he does. He loves whatever is just and good; the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth.-Psalm 33:4-5
His unfailing love is with us in every season. Animals who weather the winter with us are a constant reminder of that truth. Imagine a winter landscape devoid of animals and birds. That would be a lonely, barren place.
Today, I am grateful for animals who brave the winter.
Year 6-Day 35 :Today, I am grateful for the Sabbath.
"Setting apart a day of rest testifies to a self-reliant world that our work does not save or define us, Christ does." -John Piper
Sunday comes every week. In most Christian homes, that is the Sabbath. It is the day of rest where the day begins with worship, thanksgiving and wonder at the grace God has extended to us for another week.
Honoring the Sabbath is a way to reconnect with God, not just as an individual but in the fellowship of a community of believers. It is a precious time. Holy moments should never be taken for granted.
For me, music is very spiritual. Some of the little ones from my Jr. worship years are now grown and singing on worship team and playing their instruments to accompany worship music. What joy that brings to my heart. I know it pleases their Heavenly Father in ways I cannot even begin to fathom. Heaven must rejoice to see them sharing their gifts to his glory.
Do we actively honor the Sabbath today? When given the time to rest... what or whom do we worship?
“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work," -Exodus 20:8 -9
In studying the gospels recently in chronological order, it was interesting to see that Jesus intentionally kept the Sabbath. Still, when a human needing help or healing was present... he did not ignore their need. When they walked through a grain field, they plucked from the plant the grain for nourishment. They were not harvesting grain as on an ordinary work day. They simply took their "daily bread". When a man with a crippled hand was there at the temple, Jesus did not refuse to heal him on the Sabbath... he met the need.
When we keep the Sabbath we do it not just in church attendance. Presenting ourselves in His house, to seek his face and ask for his guidance into the next week, that is keeping the Sabbath. Giving our tithes and offering our lives as a "living sacrifice" to our Lord's service, that is keeping the Sabbath. Where we spend our Sunday is a pretty good indicator of who or what is our Lord.
Keeping the Sabbath is intentional. Priorities are made, not accidental. I think honoring the Sabbath happens in our hearts long before we walk through the church doors. I always feel so blessed by the fellowship and kindred spirits found within.
It reminds me of a saying I heard long ago, "That which you make Lord of your life will also become your shepherd.
Keeping the Sabbath helps us stay the course.
Today, I am grateful for the Sabbath.
Year 6-Day 34 :Today, I am grateful for my Randy and the "cobbatubey".
It is his birthday, and he gets to be my official "gratitude" one day a year. It is in my rules, but the truth is that I am grateful for him every day.
He is my opposite in so many ways... yet the weird thing is that on so many of the important things... there is that extra-sensory perception that grows from more than 32 years of togetherness. I love my guy. We fit just right.
I try to keep each year unique, even though the gratitude subject is the same. Today, I am truly grateful he is the "youngest of six" to compliment my "oldest of three". It works well for us. When he is with his siblings, he lights up and laughs harder than most will ever see him laugh. This includes our sons. I'm so glad they were with us this special Christmas evening.
A couple years ago, we went to Florida for Christmas. Monte & Jan and Leonard & Linda live there. Ken & Lola winter there... as a Michigan snowbirds. Bruce and Billie are always willing to hop in the car and join the family when they know more than two or three are gathered. JR & Sheryl are in Michigan full time. We were able to gather 5 out of 6 for Christmas in 2015. We made so many memories.
Christmas evening we all gathered together, I feared for Jan's sofa. They were laughing so hard... everyone is over 50 ... the risk of someone peeing their pants was high. Fortunately, the sofa remained a pee-free.
All I wanted was a decent picture to document the time together. Just one. This, ultimately, became my favorite. Monte, Bruce, Lola and Randy... this is what sibling love looks like. I could not love it more. My heart is full and I pray that our boys gather as adults and laugh like this, telling stories of their youth.
Cobbatubey came up in conversation. They lived in a house on Lake Street in Alpena, MI. Randy was pretty little at the time. Michigan winters are long. Perhaps even longer with a house full of kids. Parents had to be creative. The Lake Street house across from Lincoln School had a big basement. Jake and Shela let them ride their bikes in the basement. They all remember it vividly. It was a privilege. They needed to respect that most kids didn't have a basement big enough to ride in it... or parents who would let them ride inside.
Like the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden, something was off limits in the Lake Street basement. They had one big "don't". They could enjoy riding their bikes down there... all winter long... as long as they didn't run over the "cobbatubey".
Their Dad was very clear and firm that this was the thing that would lose them the privilege. Their bikes would be cast out of the basement and into storage for the duration of the winter. They need only follow one simple instruction. "Don't run over the cobbatubey."
You must be wondering. Perhaps you lived in a home with "cobbatubey" or still do. Most of us call it copper tubing. It was the gas line to the furnace in the basement, making it very important to heating the house.
My father-in-law had a unique vernacular. Some expressions would come close to the actual word or original phrase. Some phrasing reflected living in Northern Michigan. Other times, it was his own Jake-isms. It was part of what made Jake... well... Jake.
The sibling memories grow sweeter with time. "Cobbatubey".... I am so grateful Randy and his siblings shared this memory, again. Each one would fill in the pieces as they reminisced. They would ride all the way up to the copper tubing and sharply turn around, never running over it. It was a command they managed to obey every time... making it kind of amazing with this crew. They took their father's word and trusted it by showing obedience.
This family story reminds me of Adam and Eve, except they did not obey the Father's command. Pride and temptation led them down the path that cost them life in paradise. The wages of sin led to labor, pain and death. That consequence continues from generation to generation.
Still, God would not give up. He created man and woman to be in relationship with him and each other. He longs to forgive and restore his children. Just as Jake did not want the copper tube to the furnace destroyed, because it was how they heated the house, our heavenly father wants us to turn sharply away from things that destroy our relationship with him and each other.
Knowing the Smith kids as I do, I am confident they pushed every limit until they reached the edge of the cobbatubey. Still, they managed to obey. Jake would have forgiven them if they didn't, but there would have been consequences. Likely, memorable consequences.
From the scriptures:
Bring your confessions, and return to the Lord. Say to him, “Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us, so that we may offer you our praises.-Hosea 14:2
But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. -1 John 1:9
The house on Lake Street in Alpena will forever remain a sweet memory, and a beautiful lesson in obedience and grace. (Thanks to Bruce and Lola for helping with this post.)
Today, I am grateful for my Randy and his siblings and the "cobbatubey" lesson.
Year 6-Day 33 :Today, I am grateful my parents didn't care if I was bored.
"I think it's necessary to let kids get bored once in a while - that's how they learn to be creative." -Kim Raver
What a great quote. When did it become so important to be busy? Do we sit down and compare calendars to "win" with who has the fullest schedule? How easy it is to get sucked into the whirlwind. Things like neighborhood yard games are practically gone. I will be grateful every day that my children grew up in a neighborhood where they played outside. When our neighborhood grew up, Walker's best bud had a yard full. It was good.
Rainy days come - but they survived. Then, video games entered the scene. I fear that they have destroyed the imagination with bigger and better graphics at every turn.
Mama Ina Mae would not allow the word "bored", or she had ideas of what we could clean. We still had to clean sometimes, but her low tolerance of boredom took us to the creative zone.
"Boredom" meant I spent hours at the piano , April would draw and Matt would farm the shag carpet (if he wasn't out with Dad doing the real thing). We played "Gilligan's Island" (of course, I was Ginger) and pretended to be princesses. Some days we were birds and the porch stoop was our nest. We played school (I was the teacher) and whatever else struck our fancy. We were allowed to cook and bake... which was better than cleaning closest. We created new fashions from old clothing and Mama's sewing scraps.
We learned so much in the times we thought we were bored. I learned that magic carpet ride of a good book.
We were created in His image. I believe creativity is a part of that precious soul breath He grants to each one of us. We each manifest it differently.
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
We were created to create. Some with spreadsheets and perfectly organized closets and drawers, some with flowers and fields, and others use more traditional means of making art like music, dance, paints, cameras and pencils. I think many of us have set free our creative spirit in the kitchen as cooking shows have become popular and the plating is as important as the ingredients. A pretty plate raises the caliber of the experience.
We need time to be still. We need time to let ideas brew. We need to pause and ponder the impossible.
One of Mama Ina Mae's favorite phrases was "Necessity is the mother of invention." She borrowed it from one of the greats. It appears in the dialogue Republic, by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. That means it is really old! Then and now, time to think and time to dream up ideas always paves the way for new discoveries.
Some of the greatest scientific minds in history were artists, too. Imagination is a beautiful thing. It is a powerful tool.
If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. -Henry David Thoreau
Made in His image... made to be a maker.
Today, I am grateful my parents didn't care if I was bored.
Year 6-Day 32 :Today, I am grateful for paper calendars.
I know. I am a weirdo. In this digital age... and yes, I use the Google Calendar on my phone for the reminder alerts... it is still the paper calendar that helps me keep my schedule. I love a paper calendar. In fact, I like to have one close at hand, so I can peek at it with just a glance.
For me, this is a little more serious. I truly think I have a bit of number dyslexia (for lack of a better word). I reverse numbers and dates and struggle with times. I always read numbers back to callers to insure that I haven't turned any digits around. The other weird thing is that I will hear a 7 and write 8. Hear a 5 and write 6. I know. Weird. Letters never get mixed up for me. Only numbers. I constantly check and recheck dates and times for fear of a mistake. Thus... the visual of a paper calendar really helps me keep my schedule... and they are CUTE.
I savor the first day of the month to flip the calendar for a new piece of art. My Mary Engelbreit daily calendar is sweet for a daily smile from my favorite artist. This year, I am mixing it up with a weekly Leigh Standley "Curly Girl" datebook for something different. My calendar gives me art, heart and a fresh start to each new day.
The one thing I have tried to learn, is to leave a little room in that daily calendar for the unplanned "God appointments". Overscheduling is a beast of a task master and it leaves little time for love. Overscheduling can result in ignoring the Master's call.
When Jesus called his disciples, some of them were busy business men. It is the ones who dropped their nets and followed who ended up in the chosen 12 who would walk with him daily. I fear, I would be more like the one who said, "let me take care of business at home first". After all, isn't it important to be responsible?
"But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” He said to another person, “Come, follow me.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God" -Luke 9:58-60
I do not think the message is to be careless in our duties at home, but to remember to love the one who calls us to his heart with a wild abandon. He needs to be our "First Love" and our "Last Love". All the love in between is made fuller and more beautiful in him. He needs to be first place in our hearts. That man missed the adventure of a lifetime... although he may have still found The Way.
“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength."-Deuteronomy 6:4-5
It doesn't sound that hard, right? But for me, and probably others... I have to leave room on the calendar. I need to leave space to chase his face... and some quite time to hear the Spirit's whispers. My paper calendar helps me remember to schedule in some breathing space... that often leads to unplanned adventures.
Today, I am grateful for paper calendars.
Year 6-Day 38 :Today, I am grateful for "silver white winters that melt into springs". 
