The Birds

      Lately the sound of birds singing has been very special to me. The reason being is that it is terribly cold and wintery out there and yet, the birds still sing. I especially notice it in the mornings when I am walking into work. I am usually the first person there in the morning so I get out of my car to a quiet parking lot and a quiet building. It is cold and frosty but when I pay attention I begin to hear the birds. It is a sound that fills me with peace and hope and joy. This morning as I was crunching through the snow on my way in, I heard them once again. I stopped, closed my eyes, and listened. And I realized that that one faint song was actually a couple, and they were clear and sweet and beautiful.
       Now the birds have reminded me of a couple things lately. The first being that even in the harsh cold winter, the birds keep singing because they know that one day spring will come back. Sometimes in our lives we get to a spot that seems harsh and cold and hopeless. But God never leaves you hanging there, He promises hope, and life and spring to that harsh cold wintery place.
      Then this morning I was reminded of a second lesson from the birds. I couldn't hear the birds that well as I was crunching my way through the hard, dry snow. I heard the crunch of my own boots and the thoughts swirling in my head. I was aware of the birds but they were in the background. Then, I stopped, closed my eyes, and listened and the sweet song became clear and loud and beautiful. In life we sometimes get caught up in listening to our own crunching feet. In my case the crunching feet tend to be fear and worry, your crunching feet might be different, but whatever they are we get to caught up in listening to them. We need to stop, close our eyes and listen to the song of peace, and hope and promise that God is singing over and around us all day long.
       The One who created spring and the bird's song loves you so very much. Listen to the birds!

“The moment a little boy is concerned with which is a jay and which is a sparrow, he can no longer see the birds or hear them sing.”~Eric Berne

“In order to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence.” ~Robert Lynd

The 5 Senses

We have five sense. Taste, Touch, Hearing, Seeing, Smelling. Here are some of my favorites.

Taste: A grilled cheese sandwich on homemade bread.

Touch: The buttery softness of my husband's leather jacket.

Hearing: The sound of birds singing on a wintery, cold morning.

Seeing: The face of My Love.

Smelling: A brand new, snugly baby.

"When you start using senses you've neglected, your reward is to see the world with completely fresh eyes." ~Barbara Sher

Spring is Coming

I squished an ant in my house last night. You know what that means?
        
              Spring is on the horizon.

Mornings are getting brighter and it no longer feels like the middle of the night when I head out for work. You know what that means?
        
              Spring is gearing up.

I bought a pot of tulips the other day and tulips are a sure sign of spring.

             Spring is coming.

I just looked at the calendar and the official first day of Spring is just 31 days away.

Happy Tuesday

“Is the spring coming?" he said. "What is it like?"...
"It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine...”~Francis Hodgson Burnett

Remembering

       Luke challenged me to write down our story yesterday. And so this morning with my time off, I have been thinking back to all those sweet times that were laying the foundation for today. So many good memories and happy thoughts. What are you remembering today?

                                                                Spring 2011

Photo Credits: Keren Ruth Pope

Steps Toward Change

        I've been learning some things lately. Sometimes I wish that I learned things a little faster or didn't allow myself to learn the wrong thing and then have to take time later to unlearn it and replace it with the right thing. But anyway...
       My mind is not always my friend. I've gotten to the point where any little thought or fear that pops into my mind can quickly grow to be an all consuming monster in my brain. It is neither fun nor peaceful and I know that I need to change it. And, slowly, slowly, God is bringing things to my mind, Steps Toward Change.

Step 1: Stand Firm
        Over and over I am coming across verses in the Bible that talk about standing firm. We need to stand firm in our faith and we need to stand firm against the enemy. Fear is my enemy. My husband reminds me that when fear starts growing, I need to stand firm against it. I cannot let it win.
       Ephesians 6:13
"Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. "

     Psalm 91:14
"Because he holds fast to me in, I will deliver him; I will protect him because he knows my name."

    1 Corinthians 16:13-14
"Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love."

Step 2: Hope in God
       When fear starts attacking my mind, sadly one of the first thing that goes out the door is my hope. Fear tells me that God isn't on my side and I start to believe it. But I can't let this happen. We need to hope in the One who gives us life regardless of what is happening.

     Psalm 42:5-6a
" Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,  my salvation, and my God"

Step 3: Be grounded in the Word
        All my life I have been exposed to God's Word. Growing up I memorized verses and knew that the Bible was my sword. I knew that I should read it every day but wasn't all that great of following through, but I have been realizing lately just how important it is. 

        Ephesians 6:16-17
"In all circumstances take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the Word of God."

Step 4: Guard Your Heart
       Here again, I have heard this one all of my life. But guarding my heart doesn't just mean keeping it pure from sins, I also need to guard it from fear and doubt. Because when you let those things in they squelch your hope, cloud your vision and take you places you don't want to go. 

      Proverbs 4:23
" Keep your heart with all vigilance,  for from it flow the springs of life."

     2 Corinthians 10:5
"We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ."

Step 5: Accept God's Love
I've heard this said before, but it just really struck me when I read this passage the other day.

John 15:9
" As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love."

  One of the definitions of the word Abide is "to accept."

 Step 6: Remember That Faith is a Choice and Not a feeling. 
     I listen to my feelings way to much. So, all to often, if my feelings tell me that there is no hope for me or that I am always doing things wrong, I tend to believe them. My husband has tried to tell me this time and again, but the other day it just clicked in my mind. I can choose to hold fast to faith and hope even when my feelings tell me otherwise

Joshua 24:15
"...Choose this day whom you will serve...But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

So there you have it. The steps that God has been revealing to me lately. I still struggle a lot, but I can do this, and you can too. Happy Saturday.  

“Often, it’s not about becoming a new person, but becoming the person you were meant to be, and already are, but don’t know how to be.” ~Heath L. Buckmaster

"Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it." ~Andy Rooney


       
    

I Must Be Old

        So apparently I'm ancient. Or at least in the minds of my students. Earlier this year we went on a field trip and I used my car to help transport kids. One of my students climbed into my 1992 Honda Civic and promptly asked if this was an old fashioned car. Then there have been times when we were discussing age and another student guesstimated that I must be in my forties seeing as I was as tall as his mom. Then, my personal favorite happened today. We were reading a chapter book aloud and the author phrased something in such a way that the kids were kind of confused. One of the students asked me when the book had been written. I flipped to the copyright page and told him that the book was published in 1986. Well that cleared things up for him because he promptly stated that the author must have been using some sort of old English. I laughed a lot. Happy Monday.

"The most wasted of all days is the one without laughter." ~E.E. Cummings

Today

A limerick for your Saturday. 

Today

My husband brings the axe down with a swing. 

As we stack the wood, we hear the birds sing. 

There is spring in the air.

The breeze blows through my hair. 

Oh isn't this day such a wonderful thing.

The Indoor Garden

     I love taking care of my little indoor garden. And I like to think about when spring gets here and I can plant my first vegetable garden.

My indoor garden has really grown since we moved into our new home. I had a couple house plants in the apartment but didn't have room for more. But since we moved I have been adding to my collection. My Mom gave me this Fig Tree.

 She has one that is close to 18 years old and is huge. The ladies who sold us our home gave us this tropical looking beauty

I bought this Hen and Chick a couple weeks ago.

A touch of spring on my windowsill.

And then there was the mystery plant that turned out being "Forget-Me-Nots" I had planted the year before.

The weather outside truly feels springy today. It is in the mid 30's and the sun is shining. Loveliness.

"The earth laughs in flowers." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"I must have flowers, always, and always." ~Claude Monet

“A garden to walk in and immensity to dream in--what more could he ask? A few flowers at his feet and above him the stars.”~Victor Hugo